Great analysis!

Thank’s for posting! I knew that someone can make more sense out of this than me :)

I would venture that the Burroughs quote is used to suggest that the people surrounding Tony are aspects of his soul.

The essential theme of most “gangster movies” is the attempt to leave “the life” – essentially to do what we all are trying to do – fine peace eternally. These aspects of Tony’s soul are what must be understood for him to find the peace he is seeking.

Ren – the disinterested mother figure as director of Tony’s life
Sekem – “energy, light” – Gene starting on his short journey to his “way out”
Ku, the guardian angel – Meadow, the only thing that is “pure” in Tony’s orbit
Ba – the often treacherous heart – the people around Tony will betray him such as Ray.
Ka – “the double” – Tony’s son – another possible way out would be for Tony to ensure that AK doesn’t get involved in ‘the life’
Khaibit – the shadow – Adrianna, the tragic figure – one of the many souls that Tony has dispatched from this earth
Sekhu – the remains – the woman Tony has corrupted and will leave behind like Johnny Sack and Gene do.

Also of importance was the scene where Junior is watching the Kirk Douglas – Stanley Kubrick movie wherein Kirk defies orders and refuses to follow a command in war. This is one of Tony’s “way out” – to violate that oath that he made Gene take and that he said committed one to life. Of interest is that Junior asks “who is it” and we see Tony come out of the shadows – Burroughs also quotes the line “Quien es” which were the last words of Billy the Kid.

Tony’s journey is to understand who he is and maybe only then can he figure what it means to find that peace and innocence he seeks (the ducks versus the bear in the back yard). Interesting that the first scene of Tony, by the way, is him digging futilely for treasure in the back yard. Didn’t he also hide a similar amount of money in the back yard a few seasons back and then obsess over it?