Wise Guy: Conclusion

The very last paragraph has always struck me--from when I first watched the film back in the early 90s to when I read the book last week for the third time. That line: "I have to wait around like everyone else." It strikes me as really poignant and also kind of infuriating. It reminds me of the kids in grade school who felt they didn't have to wait their turn in the lunch line and would walk to the front. You didn't do or say anything b/c you'd get beat up, but every time they did it you felt terrible like they knew you were a sucker for waiting. I think that that's the way that the mobsters saw normal people, people like you and me. We're suckers for following the law. But if everyone lived like they did, we'd be in total chaos. They need us to follow the law so that they can circumvent those same laws.