gutter toughness

[elisevy]

Hi, What does "gutter toughness" mean?
It comes from: "And then the gutter toughness that had helped him survive the jungle of Hollywood."
[from The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Added by DonnyB - moderator]

Thank you in advance!!

 

[boozer]

He was probably born and raised in 'the gutter' - that is the bottom end of society, the lowest class of citizens, possibly in some marginalised neighbourhood.

Toughness is... well, strength combined with a degree of rudeness - the qualities that help you survive. I suppose you better check the meaning
toughness - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

 

[Barque]

the gutter toughness that had helped him survive the jungle of Hollywood.

It refers to the mental strength or resilience that he had. It's difficult to say if "gutter" refers to his childhood in a poor area, or his personality, without knowing anything more about the character.

Who's the character? Johnny Fontane? I don't remember his background now.