The essence of these various protection services seems to be dispute settlement. The mafiosi themselves view their trade in this way. In the conversation with his Sicilian friends secretly recorded by Canadian police in Montreal, Paul Violi remarked: "Our life consists always of encouraging reason, of fixing things for someone or other... When a person comes into conflict with other people and does not know where to turn, he knows that you are there and comes to you... because he knows that if he comes to you, you can... [sort out] the situation somehow" (OSPA Stajano: 59-60).

DEFINE: Reframes what mafiosi actually do: their core trade is resolving conflicts, not merely physical protection or violence.

Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Busi…, loc. 430