To me, ratting is part of the hustle. Guys like Gravano or Casso had a hustler mentality and when facing time in jail, they hustled their way out of it by becoming informant.

We often mention how weak informants are but I think it's much more cynical than that. These are guys who spend every minute of their life hustling and turning things their way, so when they facing a major issue like being incarcerated, they find a way to get out of it.