Little Caesar · Chapter
IV explained
The newspaper item planted by Ottavio Vettori makes Rico and Vettori famous overnight.
What happens
The newspaper item planted by Ottavio Vettori makes Rico and Vettori famous overnight. Little Arnie's gang is smashed after his failed attempt to kill Rico, and the Little Italians take over the territory. Arnie's history and mistakes are recounted, leading to his fall and the scattering of his lieutenants.
Themes in this chapter
Power and Ambition
Rico's sudden rise accelerates Arnie's decline, and the Little Italians take over territory.
Fear and Paranoia
Arnie's fear of Rico leads to blunders and his eventual fall.
Characters to notice
- Rico
Becomes famous overnight after the newspaper item; his rise accelerates Arnie's decline.
- Ottavio Vettori
Plants the newspaper item that convulses the underworld.
- Little Arnie
Flees Chicago after his failed attempt to kill Rico; his gang is smashed.
- Sam Vettori
Mentioned as slipping and lethargic, not interfering with Arnie's decline.
- Sicily Pete
Mentioned as controlling the vast territory north of the neutral zone, indifferent to Arnie's decline.
Key passages
“The underworld was convulsed and thousands of extra copies of the paper were sold.”
The criminal world was thrown into turmoil, and the newspaper sold thousands of extra copies.
Describes the impact of the newspaper item.
“Arnie’s gang was smashed and the Little Italians took over a territory they hadn’t controlled since the days of Monk De Angelo.”
Arnie's gang was destroyed, and the Little Italians reclaimed a territory they had lost since Monk De Angelo's time.
Summarizes the outcome of Arnie's fall.