Noodles is putting Max through as much pain as possible by not killing him. He is putting Max through hell before he dies.
And at the same time he is showing Max that he is finally at peace with himself. It's almost as though any bitterness and guilt that Noodles had carried within himself throughout the years has now been drained from him, as though this tremendous weight has been taken off his back.
Don Cardi
Five - ten years from now, they're gonna wish there was American Cosa Nostra. Five - ten years from now, they're gonna miss John Gotti.
