Oligopolistic cartels rest on a fragile, collapsible equilibrium [causal]
Oligopoly, however, makes for a more precarious equilibrium than competition. Should a member of the cartel try to obtain a larger share, as in the case of the funeral homes in Naples, or should those excluded from the cartel start a countercoalition, the equilibrium would collapse, and that "respect" would be shattered.
Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Busi…, loc. 562