Paulie respected the sanctity of marriage

Let’s forget the fact that towards the end of the show, his entire life fell apart because he learned his mother wasn’t his mother and that he didn’t know who his father was at all. He called his aunt and his actual mother horrible names over their misgivings and lies.

So let’s take it back further. When Christopher was discussing Adriana’s reproductive issues with the guys, Paulie himself said he didn’t believe marriage and their thing didn’t jive. A clear statement of respecting the fact that being in the mafia could hurt a marriage and vice versa.

However, I believe the most poigant example of Paulie respecting the sanctity of marriage was when he sniffed Adrianna’s panties. Upon being confronted by this by Tony, Paulie states that anything that touches her pussy before the marriage is off limits. Clearly, Paulie was able to draw a line at the day of the wedding and auto-believe that that was when a new boundary of respect was granted.