What does "compares" mean?

Tommy's mother speaks about her childhood days:

Mother: When we were kids, the compares used to visit each other. There was this man. He would never talk. He'd just sit there all night.

plot-explanation goodfellas

Best Answer

I know some people like to write lengthy dissertations for answers, but in this case it's simply one word (or two): Friend. In some dialects it could also mean "Godfather", and it's really unclear in this scene which definition Tommy's mother is using. Godfathers can be friends with each other, but it's kind of strange (though not unheard of) that she would use an Italian word for "friends" in this sentence. As a result, I'd probably assume she's talking about the neighborhood Godfathers.