Political access
Frank Costello
Costello is the quieter face of underworld influence: gambling, relationships, political access, and power that prefers a closed door.
The instrument.
Costello shows the value of access. The ability to influence officials, operators, and institutions can matter more than open force. Violence is expensive; access can be renewable.
The Machiavellian lesson is that power often works best when it does not announce itself as power.
The warning.
Influence without accountability is corruption in elegant clothes. Costello belongs here because he shows how shadow power can reach into public life without standing in public light.