The Pope of Greenwich Village

Police Officer Walter Ritter was accidentally killed during the heist. He had been secretly taping Eddie Grant to gather evidence on the mob operation. When the robbery went down, Ritter was caught in the crossfire and killed. His death immediately raised the stakes of the operation and tied the theft to a police investigation.

Earlier scenes establish that Eddie Grant was under police surveillance, making Ritter's presence at the crime scene logical within the story's criminal underworld.

The money Charlie and Paulie stole belonged to Eddie Grant, a powerful mob boss entrenched in the Greenwich Village underworld. When Charlie learned the cash was Eddie's, he realized they had drawn the attention of someone far more dangerous than a local business owner, pulling them deeper into a game they couldn't win.

The mob cut off Paulie's left thumb as punishment for stealing from Eddie Grant. Even though Paulie's uncle Pete was connected to the organization, the theft was considered a serious transgression that couldn't be overlooked. The brutal act served as a warning to others and left Paulie permanently disabled, unable to continue his scheming ways.

The film establishes early that Eddie Grant runs a tight operation in the neighborhood, with no tolerance for outsiders stealing his money.

Paulie betrayed Charlie after the mob put intense pressure on him following his punishment. Initially, Paulie protected Charlie and only named Barney to the mob. However, under continued coercion and likely fearing further consequences, Paulie eventually revealed Charlie's involvement. The betrayal highlights how desperation and fear eroded the cousins' loyalty to each other.

The police tape was the recording that Officer Ritter had secretly made while taping Eddie Grant. It captured evidence of Eddie's criminal operations. Charlie obtained a copy of this tape after Ritter's death and planned to use it as leverage in his final confrontation with Eddie, potentially exposing the mob boss's crimes to authorities.

The heist itself did not yield the expected $150,000 payoff they had planned. Charlie eventually made about $20,000 by betting on a horse that won based on Paulie's insider tips. This windfall provided a glimmer of financial hope, but it came far too late to restore their original ambitions or undo the damage done.

Diane left Charlie because she could no longer trust him and needed to secure a stable future for their unborn child. She took the money Charlie had and walked out, recognizing that his involvement in the criminal operation had made their relationship unsustainable. Her departure represented the personal cost of Charlie's choices beyond just the criminal consequences.

In the final scene, Paulie added lye to Eddie's coffee as an act of defiance despite being under the mob's control. The immediate result was that Eddie was harmed by the caustic substance. Both Paulie and Charlie then casually walked away from Greenwich Village, leaving the immediate threat behind but their futures remaining uncertain.

The mob initially focused on Paulie because he was the one more visibly connected to the criminal underworld through his uncle Pete, making him an easier target. Charlie, working as a maître d'hôtel, had a more legitimate public profile. However, once Paulie was under pressure and eventually revealed Charlie's involvement under duress, Charlie became a target as well.

After Paulie named Barney to the mob, Barney immediately fled town. Charlie mailed him his share of the loot, giving Barney his cut of the stolen money. Beyond this, Barney's ultimate fate remains unknown in the film, his departure simply removes him from the story as a character who escaped the immediate violence but lost his life in Greenwich Village.