"Don't worry, don't worry. Look at the Astors and the Vanderbilts, all those big society people. They were the worst thieves - and now look at them. It's just a matter of time"

Meyer Lansky, a popular figure in organized crime throughout the 20th century, offers an intriguing perspective in this quote. He draws a parallel between well-known criminal figures and respected members of high society, significantly the Astors and the Vanderbilts. By highlighting these households, Lansky underscores the idea that social status and respectability can sterilize or overshadow previous misbehaviours. The Astors and Vanderbilts were indeed iconic names in American history, renowned for their wealth and influence during the Gilded Age. Their fortunes, while enormous, were built on practices that were frequently callous, exploitative, or shrouded in controversy.

Lansky's assertion that they "were the worst thieves" indicates that their wealth build-up was not entirely virtuous, meaning moral or legal shortcomings veiled by their opulent legacies. In pointing out these families, Lansky might be suggesting that the line between criminality and respectability is thinner than society typically acknowledges. The essence of his message seems to be that those who are as soon as vilified, provided sufficient time, can be fixed up in the public eye, their previous actions eclipsed by their wealth, impact, or social contributions.

Additionally, Lansky's declaration "it's simply a matter of time" suggests a certain inevitability in this change. He might be implying that society has a way of forgetting or forgiving past disobediences, which legacy is frequently reshaped by the passage of time and subsequent generations' understandings. This declaration reflects Lansky's possible outlook on his activities and those of his peers, meaning a confident, albeit cynical, belief in society's tendency to eventually neglect the origins of wealth accumulated through suspicious methods.

In essence, Lansky is critiquing the social propensity to retrospectively sterilize the histories of wealthy and prominent households, providing a point of view that criminal offense and vice, when obscured by time and luxury, may become accepted or forgotten by society.