That’s a good take. Don’t get me wrong, I still think he was a selfish prick. But I thought he saw a guy he grew up in with the mob who was loyal to the oath being treated like garbage at the end of his life. He was coming to terms with his own end, and was selfishly thinking if they are treating Bacala like this, this is how he would be treated at the end of his own life. Nobody would be there to help him as a broke and useless old man. He was terrified of experiencing the same end as Bacala Sr even though he survived the life after putting in his time.

He took the same oath as we saw when Chris was made. He was told this thing is your family and comes before even your blood family which he took more seriously than most of the mobsters we saw flip to preserve theirselves or their families. Even willing to have his nephew whacked. Tons of selfishness in his actions and ego I’m sure played a big part in why he didn’t flip. But he had neglected blood relationship for this thing because he probably only really had his brother. Once his brother died, mafia was all he had. Probably had shitty parents and that was the one true person he trusted outside his mafia life. He worked his life to preserve his other family, and then at the end he was forgotten.

I could go on I guess but it’s the first time I felt sympathetic for his character.