Do we know for certain that Danny was bred to take over the family, or did he inherit this position when Mick died? I never get the impression that Carmen thought any less of Mick than she does of Danny (though I do think she thinks more of Pilar than both of them combined). I actually wonder if Carmen resents the fact that it's Danny taking over, instead of her precious dead Mick. Did she see Mick as common and thug-like? Or did she think she would give him the business one day, with Danny playing second fiddle to him? Did Danny go to college, because Mama wanted him prepared to take over the business, or because Mama thought Mick would be doing that, and Danny would do the behind-the-scenes work, that would help keep them out of trouble?

If Carmen didn't have expectations of Danny being the crown prince, could Danny have had them of himself? And if Mick had been the chosen one all along, would Danny have some subconscious resentment of him and turning into him (which would be why he hates himself when he does), and this act of rebellion is in part a defiance of everything that Mick stood for (heir to the throne, Mama's favorite, the one that Carmen understood, etc.). Is that why he accepted Michelle so easily, because he knew what kind of man his brother was, and he never wanted to be that man? Did he marry her, not only to keep her safe, but to give his mother the ultimate middle finger for throwing herself at Mick's feet all these years, while he was in the shadows?

Tracee