> If the mafioso goes too far they lose the support of the locals
That's not really the case. The only way people can express a loss of support is by telling authorities where to find this or that boss in hiding, which happens extremely rarely (because a lot of bosses are not actually in hiding at any given time). In some cases, towns are effectively led from afar - footsoldiers just roll in whenever they need to, like before local elections - so there is very little anyone can do.
> the organisation's management usually enforce their rules on their own members rigourously and violently, too.
This is a romanticised view. There are no rules, what matters is only who can project the most violence and/or control the most money.
I agree that they're a business first and foremost, but a lot of mafiosi do actually enjoy expressing violence. Most of them come from poor backgrounds and lived through traumatizing experiences pretty early in life.
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> If the mafioso goes too far they lose the support of the locals
That's not really the case. The only way people can express a loss of support is by telling authorities where to find this or that boss in hiding, which happens extremely rarely (because a lot of bosses are not actually in hiding at any given time). In some cases, towns are effectively led from afar - footsoldiers just roll in whenever they need to, like before local elections - so there is very little anyone can do.
> the organisation's management usually enforce their rules on their own members rigourously and violently, too.
This is a romanticised view. There are no rules, what matters is only who can project the most violence and/or control the most money.
I agree that they're a business first and foremost, but a lot of mafiosi do actually enjoy expressing violence. Most of them come from poor backgrounds and lived through traumatizing experiences pretty early in life.