Criminality Quotes in Boardwalk Empire

The same could be said about the rest of the city's criminal underworld: Everyone knows about it, but no one talks about it. This actually works pretty well for a while, quietly drawing in tourists from Philly eager to have a wild weekend. But this is just the beginning.

Well, it's true, isn't it? We can take the high road and criticize the leaders of Atlantic City for turning their town into a criminal paradise, but we'd be missing the point: They only did it because that's what their visitors wanted. That's just what business people do. We can critique them until the cows come home, but we can't act surprised when things like this happen.

Don't think that the only people making money are hardened criminals—many regular folk earn their paychecks through illegal businesses, too. It might not be their preferred way of making money, but it's what they have to do to survive.

In this city, crime is best for business. Though most wouldn't say it out loud, residents of Atlantic City realize that a thriving criminal underworld is integral to the city's development. They may not be partaking in these illicit thrills themselves, but they know that they're important to have around.

By now, the Atlantic City political system has become indistinguishable from its criminal underworld. The vice industry funds the politicians, who in turn protect the vice industry from pesky state and federal interference. It's a match made in heaven.

Prohibition ends up having the complete opposite effect than intended. Instead of stopping all sale of alcohol in the U.S., it simply shifts business from family-owned operations to criminal enterprises. That's a great thing for Atlantic City's mobsters… but that's about it.

Okay, so the Atlantic City vice squad doesn't take down illegal operations—it protects them. By now, Nucky has created a finely-tuned machine capable of squeezing every dollar possible from the city's criminal underbelly. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done.

For a brief period, Nucky runs the perfect criminal enterprise. He doesn't have to worry about the police—he runs the department. He doesn't have to worry about politicians either, since he owns them, too. He doesn't even have to worry about the public because they're all cheering on his success. If criminals were Jedi, Nucky would be the chosen one.

Taggart thinks that he has it all figured out. If he can throw his weight around, placing pressure on Atlantic City's vice lords, then he can have his cake and eat it, too. But things don't work like that in this town; these criminals aren't going down without a fight.

Holy smokes—it worked. Although the idea of legalized gambling was met with a great deal of skepticism, the plan actually works just as intended. Now Atlantic City can use casinos to hook tourists without having to deal with hardened criminals or uncompromising mobsters. That's what you call a win-win.