Stories about loveable/honorable gangsters abound in the literature of many countries, from Robin Hood to Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby, 1925).

Condon's twist on his immediate predecessor, Mario Puzo's The Godfather (1969), is that his characters are more than family pawns, believing that their lives are worthy of their profession.

Loyalty to self honor supercedes (but does not replace) honor to the family.