It's the same as all gangster movies, as the great African-American critic C. L. R. James was among the first to point out:
"In the end ‘crime does not pay,' but for an hour and a half highly skilled actors and a huge organization of production and distribution have given to many millions a sense of active living..."
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2007/06/the-appeal-of-the-sopranos/227846/
