The 10 Commandments of the Mafia

Whether you are religious or not, you have at least heard of the "Ten Commandments" from the Bible. Even if you don't know what they all are, you at least probably know that Charlton Heston played Moses in the movie "The Ten Commandments." Rules to live by such as don't kill, don't steal, and don't covet have influenced many of the laws that governments across the world have in effect today. In November 2007 though, a set of rules for members of the Mafia was uncovered. These rules, dubbed "The Ten Commandments of the Mafia," were discovered in a hideout of Salvatore Lo Piccolo, the Sicilian Mafia's new boss, who had recently been taken into custody. Below are the ten rules that Mafia members must live by. (Note: When the word "family" is referenced, it means the Mafia family.)

1. No-one can present himself directly to another of our friends. There must be a third person to do it.
One way to avoid people faking membership in the Mafia, is to not allow them to introduce themselves as a mafia member. In order for another member to know who else is a member of the family, they must be introduced by a third member of the mafia family.

2. Never look at the wives of friends.
This is an obvious commandment, one borrowed pretty much from the Ten Commandments listed in the Bible.

3. Never be seen with cops.
In order to function as a group involved in many illegal activities including money laundering and even murder, it is necessary to make sure that your members aren't associating with the very people who can arrest and imprison you.

4. Don't go to pubs and clubs.
There are other forms of entertainment a Mafia family member can partake in besides going to clubs and pubs. Pouring cement blocks, perhaps?

5. Always being available for Cosa Nostra is a duty - even if your wife is about to give birth.
To use business terms, you are always "on-call." If the Casa Nostra, or Mafia family, needs you, then you must be available.

6. Appointments must absolutely be respected.
Don't be a flake.

7. Wives must be treated with respect.
Your own wife, and the wives of other "family" members, must be treated with the utmost respect.

8. When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.
You shouldn't have any reason to lie to a member of the "family."

9. Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.
You can take money from plenty of people... just don't take money from members of the Mafia "family."

10. People who can't be part of Cosa Nostra: anyone who has a close relative in the police, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to moral values.
Such a commandment allows the rules and moral codes to be determined by the group as a whole. It also allows such rules to be changed over time, as needed.

Every business needs to have a code of conduct. Every family has a list of house rules that need to be followed. The Mafia is both a business and a family, and this code of conduct, the "Ten Commandments," is what has allowed the Mafia to continue to be an elite secret society, a mastermind of illegal activities, for over a century.