Chapter 4 Summary and Analysis

There is trouble in the air in the Italian underworld of 1930—in-fighting in the form of the Castellammarese War is raging. Organized Italian racketeering does not off until the 1920s, sparked by the constraints of the Prohibition. While other criminal groups cash in on Prohibition, the Italians take advantage of their knowledge of home-made brew and take a giant step toward racketeering. Joseph (Joe the Boss) Masseria is Mr. Big, with Capone, Lucky Luciano, Genovese and others waiting in the wings.

The Italian mobsters remain faithful to their roots with tensions high between Sicilians and Neapolitans. One of the most clannish groups consists of men who originally hail from in and around the Sicilian town of Castellammarese del Golfo. These men are loyal to Salvatore Maranzano, one of the New York bosses. Joe the Boss, wanting absolute power, decides to...