The price of protection was therefore higher, since the independence of the protector was greater relative to that of the protectee—so high, in fact, that Lupo refers to guardiania as a "racket." Moreover, unlike his counterparts inland, the guardiano lived not on the estate but nearby in the city and as a deterrent relied on his reputation rather than his physical presence. By living in the city, the mafioso was free to put his reputation to a number of uses—that is, to attract a wider variety of customers—such as providing buyers with guarantees of the quality of produce

XREF: Connects to broader readings on organized crime economics and how reputation functions as capital in informal markets.

Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Busi…, loc. 216