The reasons behind Carlo's betrayal

But, that's permitted in Italian families.

In the Godfather Saga just before The Godfather, Tom and Sonny talked about Sollozzo, there's an extra scene where Connie and Carlo are already fighting, despite being married less than a week. Sonny is concerned about that and wonders if he should "talk" to Carlo about it. The Don waves him off and basically tells him to mind his own business. Likewise when Carlo tells Connie to shut up and the table, Sonny yells about him, but Mama tells him to stay out of it. Not saying being a wife beater was the reason they refused to give Carlo anything good, but they definitely weren't as bothered by it as they should have been. It's no clear what it was about Carlo that the Don didn't like, but he didn't think that highly of him before he started beating his wife.

His reasons for betraying the family were pretty simple and actually made sense. The Don, Tom Hagen and the other capos never had any respect for him. And the only person who ever seemed to like him, Sonny, just viciously beat him in the middle of his neighborhood in front of all his guys. It was still unknown if Michael would ever be able to return, so taking out Sonny could have crippled the Corleones and made it possible for him to work for Brazini, doing something much better.

Carlo was dumb. He should have known that he was going to get his butt kicked by Sonny for abusing Connie. He set up Sonny to be killed on the causeway for various reasons. Not just for revenge but I strongly think that someone from one of the other families bribed him. How could he not know that Michael would have him whacked eventually for his actions?

..and what a wonderfully satsisfying scene when Michael finally comes in to lay it on the line to Carlo:

First of all, Carlo's already on the phone to his co-conspirators...who are now all dead..so..busted.

Then Michael comes in and lays it all on the line. Barzini's dead. Tattliglia's dead. They're all dead(I can't recall if he relates that Tessio is dead, or gonna be.)

Its sort of like the satisfaction a mean papa gets confronting his son with how he knows what bad the son has done. And there is also Michael's personal satisfaction in getting to TELL Carlo what the mob world will soon know: they were wrong to count Michael out. All competition has been wiped out, all of those who thought Michael didn't have the balls, or the juice, to run the family are dead.

And Carlo receives all of this information first. Poor guy.

Three last coup de graces:

ONE: Michael: 'So don't insult my intelligence..." High pressure. C'mon, Carlo...spill.

TWO: "It was Barzini." Carlos spills. Evidently never heard of the phrase "deny, deny, deny." But maybe its a load off..and Carlo is hoping for mercy. He's married to Michael's sister . Michael is the godfather of his son.

THREE: How Michael after saying "your punishment is(banished to Vegas") brusquely pushes Carlo away when the latter tries to offer thanks. "Get out of my sight." I think this is a way to keep Carlo thinking "its all over, nothing more to worry about" AND for Michael to not even honor Carlo with false pleasantness at the end. Michael doesn't do that.

And then its out to the car with Clemenza, and the final murder in The Godfather.

Man, I read the book back in the 70s. I guess it's high time for me to reread it.