“It's more important to look honest than it is to get anything done.” Municipal Agency Commissioner in New York City; Interview, 1991.

The book roots corruption in the idea of a departure from conventional standards, and thus offers an account not only of its corrosiveness but also of its malleability and controversiality. In the course of a broadranging exploration, it examines various links between private and public corruption, connecting the latter with other social and political structures.