John Cazale Was the Broken Heart of The Godfather
The Don took Tom Hagen in at Sonny’s request and became Tom’s guardian. Tom was an orphan, who like his late mother had an eye infection that could have led to blindness and death. The Don arranged to have that infection healed, which of course may have saved Tom’s eyes and/or life.
Although initially the Don was courteous and formal with Tom, he still paid for Tom to go to college and law school which is of course less like a guardian and more like a father. And somewhat atypically the Don never asked for anything in return. The Don was said to be surprised and pleased when after law school graduation, Tom said he wanted to work for the Don like his sons, meaning complete and total love and acceptance. After that the Don went out of his way to treat Tom like a blood son.
So book or film, Tom gets taken in as an orphan and is raised and treated very close to a blood relative or as a blood relative by everyone. He’s not kept at arm’s length. No one ever comes to him with a bill listing all the money he owes for room and board, toys or entertainment over the years. He learns to speak Italian. He calls Vito and Carmella “Pop” or “Ma” without anyone getting upset (except Sonny one time under extremely stress).
And he’s brought in to the highest level of his father’s criminal organization and given sensitive private information with which if he were disloyal, he could destroy the entire outfit. But Tom remembers all those years ago when Sonny brought him home from the streets and Sonny’s parents gave him a hot plate of spaghetti. Tom is loyal because the Corleones are his family. He loves them even more because he’s not a blood relative. They showed him kindness when they had no reason to do so. Tom remembers.
Finally in the book, after Sonny’s death when Hagen asks his father about some of his seemingly contradictory orders, Vito smiles and says:
“Well you know me better than anyone else. Even though you’re not a Sicilian, I made you one.”
