When Nephi returns to his homeland, he finds that the Gadianton robbers have managed to take over the government. They are not believers in the Nephite religion, and appear to have replaced it. The only thing Mormon says is that they have laid” aside the commandments of God.” In the ancient world, it was extremely rare to not espouse some religion, and religion was the way ancient peoples defined reality. Thus, laying aside God’s commandments strongly suggests that they were replaced with some other god’s (gods’) commandments.
In addition to taking over the religious beliefs, they have also overthrown the Nephite religious and political ideal of egalitarianism. There is support for hierarchy, and wealth becomes a means of exercising power. It cannot be known whether the statement that “they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill,” reflected their actions, or simply the antipathy that Mormon certainly feels towards them.