Character Relationship Map: GoodFellas

Characters

• Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta) — protagonist

  The protagonist who becomes fascinated by the Mafia life as a teenager. He rises through the ranks, marries Karen, and engages in carjackings, drug smuggling, and major heists. After his cocaine addic...

• Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) — supporting

  A violent juvenile delinquent and associate of Henry. He participates in the unsanctioned murder of Billy Batts, leading to the burial and relocation of the corpse. He is ultimately killed at a fake i...

• Karen Hill (played by Lorraine Bracco) — supporting

  A Jewish woman who marries Henry despite her parents' disapproval, drawn to his glamorous criminal lifestyle. She smuggles drugs to him in prison and later flushes $60,000 worth of cocaine down a toil...

• Tommy's Mother (played by Catherine Scorsese) — minor
• Karen's Mother (played by Suzanne Shepherd) — minor
• Billy Batts (played by Frank Vincent) — supporting

  A made man in the Gambino crime family recently released from prison. He insults Tommy at a nightclub, triggering a violent retaliation where Tommy and Jimmy beat, stab, and shoot him to death, violat...

• Henry's Father (played by Beau Starr) — cameo
• Henry's Mother (played by Elaine Kagan) — cameo

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Henry's Father → Henry Hill (father)
• Henry's Mother → Henry Hill (mother)
• Karen's Mother → Karen Hill (mother)
• Tommy's Mother → Tommy DeVito (mother)

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Henry Hill → Billy Batts (Narrative Murder Aftermath Accomplice) — Henry becomes tied to Billy through the concealment of his death.

  Henry helps bury Billy Batts after Tommy and another associate kill him, then participates in moving the corpse when the burial site is threatened.

• Tommy DeVito → Billy Batts (Conflict Murderous Enemy) — Their confrontation causes Billy's death and triggers later retaliation.

  Billy Batts insults Tommy at a nightclub, and Tommy responds by beating, stabbing, and fatally shooting him.

• Henry Hill → Tommy DeVito (Alliance Criminal Associate) — They operate together inside the same criminal circle.

  Henry works with Tommy in carjackings, cargo theft, the Air France Robbery, and the burial of Billy Batts.

Story Analysis

Henry Hill's rise through organized crime collapses under violence, addiction, betrayal, and the emotional cost of witness protection.

Plot Progression

1. A Taste for Power — Henry is drawn into organized crime as a teenager and begins fencing stolen goods. His work expands into carjackings, cargo theft, and the Air France Robbery.
2. Violence Changes Everything — The criminal lifestyle appears glamorous, but a nightclub insult leads to Billy Batts's murder. Henry becomes involved in hiding and relocating the corpse.
3. Prison and Bigger Scores — Henry faces arrest and imprisonment after a debt-collection operation. Afterward, the criminal group pursues the Lufthansa vault robbery and gains enormous wealth.
4. The Empire Turns Inward — The Lufthansa robbery provokes paranoia and killings within the crew. Tommy is murdered at a fake initiation ceremony, revealing the cost of the earlier unsanctioned killing.
5. The Cost of Escape — Henry's cocaine use and arrest destroy his stability and finances. Fearing that he will be killed, he becomes an informant and enters witness protection, trading danger for an ordinary life.