A Yakuza who betrays his family loses his name. He must shave his head, return his tattooed skin (symbolically), and vanish. Worse: his family may be held responsible. Honor is external—it lives in the eyes of other clans.
The Yakuza structure is based on the Japanese family model ( ie system). It is a strict pyramid hierarchy.
“The codex only works when everyone believes in it. Now? Half believe. Half want to retire to Thailand.” — Retired Yakuza lieutenant, interviewed anonymously (2023)
(Indebtedness)