sociopath
a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.
Tony Soprano would make a great subject for someone studying a sociopath. He has no sense of boundaries and has the inability to draw lines at where friendship ends and abuse begins. He feels completely justified in ruining someone's life because he is owed a debt. I get that, I might feel the same. But, what unnerves me is how he tries to be friendly to this individual. As if they can somehow preserve their history of friendship. He's unaware that his actions have consequences. Or it could be he just doesn't care. He really seems unaware. If he had that awareness maybe he would find another way around the debt he is owed. It's a good example of keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
But, back to the Wisdom of the Sopranos. Sometimes it's best to know all the facts before speaking. I do wonder about the nativity of some people. There is a witness to the killing from the previous episode. The witness sees photos of the murder and witnessed Tony and another man (it was Pussy) leaving the scene. Now I don't know much about the study of criminology but wouldn't the fact that these murders didn't really fit the stereotype of a random act of violence. If it's not random then what would it be? Now I'm not saying you should turn a blind eye to crime. But, maybe a little selectivity might be necessary. Here's another aspect of this little wisdom - maybe you will not question why people don't come forward when they witness something. Maybe they are scared. Honestly, wouldn't you be scared?
Carmella is caught in bed reading Memoirs of a Geisha. Maybe she identifies a bit?
When children get older they start to see their parents as people. Meadow has been experiencing this with her father for some time. In this episode Tony has a little too much to drink and has a conversation with Meadow. He told her that he knew that she was more like him than her mother. He also told her that everything he does is for her and her brother. Tony does tell Meadow that she knows she thinks he is a hypocrite. As Meadow walks away she tells her dad that, "sometimes we are all hypocrites." Isn't that true?
If you are tempted by something you shouldn't put yourself in a place where you can succumb to temptation. Stay away.
It should be noted that Janice is just as manipulative as her mother. Back to the parent/child relationship. Sometimes no matter how hard you try there are aspects of your parents that are part of you.
When Tony is talking to Dr. Melfi he discusses the possibility that he creates his own dramas. That is true for him and so many other people.
The best wisdom comes at the very end. While Tony is showing his son Anthony how to steer his boat (and going fast causing a small boat to tip over - because he doesn't have empathy - he's a sociopath you know). He says that when steering a boat you have to anticipate your moves in advance because you can't break or turn quickly. Very true Tony. Very true.
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