How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Connolly brought something to the table no one else could: [...] he'd grown up in the brick tenement near the Bulgers' in the Old Harbor housing project in South Boston. (1.1.8)
Here's one big reason why Bulger and Connolly hook up: they were practically next-door neighbors growing up. It also helps that South Boston is an incredibly tight-knit community, one that always prefers to keep things internal rather than handing them off to outsiders. As we'll see, this bites them in the butt in a major way.
Quote #2
Connolly was surely thinking about [...] where he had come from. A circle, a loop, the shape of a noose—all road led to Southie. (1.1.59)
Yeesh—now that's dark. Although Connolly has worked elsewhere as an FBI agent, taking one notable stint in the Big Apple, he always knew he'd end up back in South Boston—his home. But is that really a good thing? What do you think?
Quote #3
The shared battles reaffirmed a view of life: never trust outsiders and never forget where you come from. (1.2.5)
This central tenet of the Southie community–"never trust outsiders"—becomes a rallying cry for Bulger and Connolly as they unleash their decades-long reign of terror on Boston. The irony is too much to bear.