Life in Bill's world, much like that of a spy or some other interloper, necessitated precautionary machinations — in one instance, Bill checked the hood of his car for fingerprints in an attempt to detect possible tampering and bomb planting — safe houses and secret signals to tell friend from foe. Rooms were bugged and phone lines tapped: Mafiosi must memorize lists of public phone numbers, booth locations and their numbers in order to maintain communication with one another. It all reinforced the perception of being an outsider and gave credence to belief systems that thrive on such insularity.
Though the Bonannos are law-breakers by ordinary standards, they did not see themselves as such, believing instead that it was the society and its laws that were more corrupt. Such ideas, while bizarre to most readers of the Honor Thy Father, are traced by Talese to their historical origins in Sicily, where some saw the law and those in power as utterly corrupt and regarded the outlaws as heroes. This theme of the noble criminal weaves itself throughout the book; in jail Bill reflects that the white collar criminals, and the system that produced them, are just as, if not more, corrupt than he or anyone in his organization; it appears in the guise of the idea, following a string of bombings in Arizona, that some mysterious federal agency is responsible. It is a psychological mechanism that legitimizes their anti-social existence but it reinforces their alienation, being the greatest barrier to integrating with the mainstream American life. And this is the tragedy of Bill Bonanno - though he lived in the 20th century, he subsisted in another era, being a prisoner to an ancient code of conduct. There is enormous irony in this, too, for Bill lived in a time when rebellion against old norms was the central cultural current in the lives of many of his generation.
Beside the threat of a confrontation with a rival gang, there is the danger of a confrontation with FBI agents serving subpoenas. And the FBI's attention has increased with the sensational press coverage of the Mafia in America. In the time following the Appalachian meeting and the testimony of Joseph Valachi, the Mafia came under the withering glare of the public limelight and the attendant interest of the politicians, prosecutors, and the FBI. Mafiosi were forced into hiding, trying to avoid being served with the dreaded subpoena, which forced them to either testify or spend time in jail for contempt, something that indeed happened to Bill in the wake of his father's mysterious kidnapping. The public interest and the FBI investigations had a ruinous effect on the Bonannos standing in long-time safe haven of Tucson. In the wake of the press attention the Bonnannos had to leave town. The constant pressure had a straining effect on his marriage; his wife left him on two occasions.
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