Mean Streets portrayed world of obligations and fluctuating moral beliefs . The characters all have obligations whether it was owing money, taking care of a relative, to your beliefs, or to avenging the honor of a person. Money is a theme that is apparent throughout the film (or at least the first half we watched) where money was owed to loaners, was used for scam, was used as bribery, and it was used as a mediator between parties despite the fighting. Charlie, the main protagonist, has made it his duty to watch over Johnny whom is carefree and negligent and neck deep in debt from borrowing from a lot of loaners.

At the start of the movie, Charlie feels that going to confession does not guarantee pardon from his wrongdoings and thus sets out with the belief that the matter is solely in his hands and actions in the real world, thus his relation to Johnny. However we find out that he most likely does this to be with Johnny’s sister whom he has a relationship with. Including this instance, other moral paradoxes are portrayed by the characters such as the bar owner kicking out a man for injecting substances in his bathroom  which he views as unsightly yet he keeps caged lions hidden in the back from dubious sources without a license to keep them. How Charlie wants to be with Teresa but outrightly declares he doesn’t love her despite spending time with her. These contradicting morals makes it interesting that it makes you want to see what he will choose to follow and where that will bring him and add to the growing turmoil in the story.

Ghostface Killah’s Shakey Dog portrays a much more frank and harsh reality through the recounting of a robbery for drugs and money. In Mean Streets,  the characters Charlie with his connection to his uncle, and the loaners like Michael mostly evoke respect and a code of loyalty from other characters. In Shakey Dog, Ghost and Frank presence evoke fear in the streets to the point that they aren’t concerned about anyone witnessing their robbery. The song then narrates what goes on in a robbery to the last detail from getting out their guns, making the plans, and what goes down in a robbery which doesn’t go as smoothly as planned. Their is no regard to the lives of the people they are robbing from and each other’s since Ghost talked about Frank taking the blame if they get caught. We get straight to the action in the song, we aren’t made to get to know the characters like we do in Mean Streets. It’s the story laid out bare to the listeners with no intention of softening the blow, leaving little to consider of the actions they took and the consequences it brought about.