There are other norms governing the circulation of information among insiders. Even after the emergence of a coordinated carrel structure, members continued to be admitted to a particular family rather than to the mafia as such, and families retained their independence in many ways. The flow of information was restricted not only between families but also within them, that is, between bosses and members.

Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Busi…, loc. 320