The movie "Goodfellas" is a dramatization of life in the New York Mafia. It is based on the accounts of real
             life ex-gangster turned state evidence. He tells his story from when he was hired by a wiseguy as a teenager
             in the fifties to the time he is put in the witness protection program in the seventies.
             The movie portrays the spirit of the Mafia subculture and demonstrates their distinctive values, customs,
             norms, and deviant lifestyle. The Mafia is a subculture of localized groups of criminals that developed for
             the purpose of protecting those who can not go to the police for protection. Its roots can be traced back to
             Sicily, where the Mafia was based on the premise that any member suffering an alleged injustice was obliged to
             take personal vengeance while avoiding all contact with legal authorities. Even in the modern day American Mafia,
             each family ruled it's own territory and when others from outside the territory interfered they were dealt with
             through violent methods. The wiseguys (or local gangsters) paid for their protection by paying the head of their
             local family. This payoff was also known as paying tribute to the boss.
             Many of the Mafia's folkways and mores' were identified throughout the movie. Some of the informal rules held by
             the Mafia were the codes of trust and silence. In other words, never rat on a friend and keep your mouth shut. These
             rules were highlighted when the narrator, Henry Hill, had his first arrest. He was brought to court; defended by a Mafia
             paid lawyer and after his release he received praise and money from the family for honoring the code. This was considered
             his Mafia graduation and as important as losing his virginity.
             It was also sanctioned behavior to buy your way in and out of the mainstream culture with bribes to local authorities
             and officials. Because of fear and respect of family members in the community, it was very easy to persuade t...