Being part of a mob crime family isn’t all kick-backs, drinks at the Bada Bing Club, and cushy no-show jobs. Instead, much like other criminal enterprises, there are actual rules that people have to follow.

After all, organized crime is called "organised" for a reason. Tony Soprano’s New Jersey crew have a lot of rules and codes to follow in order to get their illicit deeds done. Tony, the head of the DiMeo crime family, refers to the mob as a business, which makes sense. There’s a formal structure, with a hierarchy going from soldier to capo to boss. If you find yourself on the wrong side or annoying Tony, then there are serious consequences, which can often be harsh and somewhat permanent.

The Sopranos on HBO ushered in what has been called the golden age of television. Respected by critics and audiences alike for its sharp writing, fully-developed characters, and expertly crafted plot lines, The Sopranos quickly became a fan-favorite. In fact, the show was so successful than many believed that it was what would've been produced had Martin Scorsese decided to give up movie-making and concentrate on making high-quality television instead. The show opened the floodgates to the likes of The Wire and Deadwood, proving that there was an audience for adult television programming.

Like any other group in organized crime, Tony's work family had to follow some strict rules on a daily basis. With this list, we're taking a look at the regulations that the crew had to constantly obey.

With that said, here are the 20 Regulations Tony’s Work Family Is Forced To Obey On The Sopranos.

If you do the crime, you must do the time

Being a mobster engaged in criminal activities carries plenty of risks. One of the biggest is the threat of being incarcerated for long stretches of time. Tony Soprano’s cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) did a 17 year stretch for the armed hijacking of a truck. Tony was meant to him on the job, but due to a panic attack, he failed to show up. Because of this, he tells Blundetto that he was mugged. Tony – who is secretly afraid of doing time – is wracked by guilt about what happened to his friend and cousin.

When Blundetto is released, he’s seemingly a reformed character, refusing Soprano’s offer to continue working for the DiMeo crime family. Unfortunately, things don’t go well for Blundetto and he is eventually whacked by the other Tony.

No unsanctioned hits

Hits have to be done with the full blessing of the head of the family – any other action could result in a loss of face and dire consequences. For example, just look at what happened to Tony Blundetto when he took things into his own hands.

The ban on unsanctioned hits extends to families that do business together. The DiMeo family has a long-standing partnership with the Lupertazzi crime family, especially capo Phil Leotardo. When Phil became de facto boss of the Lupertazzi, he started to get delusions of grandeur and eventually went too far when he whacked the captain of Tony’s top-earning crew, Vito Spatafore. Tony responded by hitting Phil financially and blowing up his wire room. Then, after a series of war councils, he had Phil whacked.

Respect your crew and your family

Throughout The Sopranos, Tony is continually torn by his desire for the family to become a more professional organization and his sudden outbursts. One thing that he expects from other of the crime family is respect. He has even said that "Those that want respect, give respect."

Since Tony is the head of a crime family, he needs those around him to show him respect, whether this be from Chris or old-school gangster Richie Aprile Jr. Of course, as the head of an actual family, he also tries to be a good role model for his children, even if he doesn’t always succeed in this. Respect is a two-way street, however, and Tony is continuously disgusted by some of the obnoxious characters in the show, such as the bullying no-class Ralph and the vain and patronizing Feech.

No leaving the family

We don't see many people retire from organized crime in The Sopranos. Leaving the DiMeo family either means being sent to the big house or leaving in a hearse. According to Tony, “Once you’re into this family, there’s no getting out.” Crime is part of the Soprano's blood. Giovanni Franci "Johnny Boy" Soprano was the former captain of the DiMeo family. Following his demise, Tony stepped up to become the next boss, with Uncle Junior briefly serving as the head of the family.

Other have been associated with the family for long periods of time, stretching back decades in the case of Sil and Paulie. In the first season alone, 14 of various families get "whacked," which shows us that there is no real exit. Even those who try to go straight eventually get pulled back into the life of crime, often only to meet unfortunate ends (for example, Tony Bludetto).

If you snitch, you get whacked

Salvatore Bonpensiero was one of Tony’s closest friends. However, despite this, when he became a rat, he still had to be dealt with. It’s a tragic story. Salvatore was a kind-hearted man who doted on his wife and three kids. However, the bread he earned from the mob was not enough to put his children through college and he started dealing substances on the side.

While Tony, who was then his capo, and acting boss Jackie Aprile Sr. knew about this and tried to help, Salvatore kept dealing. Eventually, he was caught by the Feds, who gave him a decision: either rat other out or face 30 years in prison. Unfortunately, Salvatore chose the latter option, which led to him getting whacked by Tony, Paulie, and Sil in the second season. This continued to haunt Tony throughout the series.

Your work family comes first

Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo) had long been targeted as a potential rat by the FBI due to her relationship with the volatile Chris. Initially, the Feds tried to ensnare her by sending Deborah Ciccerone to befriend Adrianna. However, this blew up in their faces when Chris made a at Deborah.

The Feds were more successful when they used Adrianna’s distribution of banned substances and her involvement in the cover up of illegal activities at the club to get her to become a mole. Eventually, Adriana confessed her involvement to Chris, pleading with him to her in a witness protection program. Unfortunately for Adriana, Chris informed Tony, which led to her untimely demise at the hands of Silvio Dante.

Don’t hurt animals, especially horses

Despite gorging himself on red meat, Tony Soprano loves animals. He’s flown off of the handle before because of the mistreatment of dogs. However, when it comes to horses,Tony can be especially ionate.

During the course of the show, Tony becomes very close to Ralph Cifaretto’s race horse Pie-oh-my, offering Ralph racing advice and even stepping in to settle the horse’s vet bills when Ralph comes up short. When Pie-oh-my es away in a stable fire, Tony suspects foul play and believes that Ralph started the blaze to collect the sky-high insurance pay out. When Tony confronts Ralph about this, only one of the men emerge alive – and it isn't Ralph.

Extra-marital affairs stay secret

Tony Soprano loves his wife Carmela. Sure, their relationship can be tempestuous, but Carmela is always by Tony’s side. Although Carmela knows that Tony works for the mob, they rarely discus it. Despite espousing family values at home, Tony is a hypocrite. In fact, he leaves a trail of mistresses, or goomahs, wherever he goes.

While this is an accepted norm for mob , Carmela reacts with understandable fury when she finds out that Tony has been unfaithful and has slept with both Irina and Svetlana. Tony is soon kicked out of the house. While mistresses are the norm for Tony's work family, they cannot be mentioned at home. Because of this, Tony has made it clear that his crew can't talk about his extra-martial affairs around his wife.

It doesn’t matter who you are, Tony is the boss

Whether you’re Tony Soprano’s consigliere or just a loyal foot soldier, one thing is certain: you respect the head of the family. Unfortunately, not everyone abides by this rule. Take the case of Feetch La Manna (Robert Loggia), for example. As an original gangster who became a made-man in Italy, Feetch came to the U.S. in the ‘50s, rising to the rank of capo with his fingers in both bookmaking and cards.

When Feetch is released from prison after a 30 year stretch, he wants back in the game. Despite the fact that Tony is the boss of North Jersey, it’s clear that Feetch still considers him as a kid and therefore doesn’t give Tony his due respect. When Feetch goes against Tony's wishes one too many times, Tony sets him up and the old mobster is quickly sent back to the big house.

There are always consequences

The New Jersey crime family lives by a specific code. Whenever this code is broken, there have to be consequences- and these consequences are often brutal, as Tony himself explains, “There’s an old ... saying: you f*** up once, you lose two teeth.”

Examples include Ralph’s demise after the stable fire, the whacking of snitches Salvatore and Adrianna, and Tony taking out a snitch when he visits an upstate college with Meadow. Jackie Aprile Jr. is whacked by Janice after mistreating her, Burt Gervasi is whacked by Silvio for trying to organize a coup and, well, the list goes on. In short, for every transgression or betrayal in The Sopranos, the consequences are often harsh, permanent, and should serve as a reminder to anyone who wants to go up against the DiMeo family.