  The distribution of the non-luminous matter in galaxies of different
luminosity and Hubble type is much more than a proof of the existence of dark
particles governing the structures of the Universe. Here, we will review the
complex but well-ordered scenario of the properties of the dark halos also in
relation with those of the baryonic components they host. Moreover, we will
present a number of tight and unexpected correlations between selected
properties of the dark and the luminous matter. Such entanglement evolves
across the varying properties of the luminous component and it seems to
unequivocally lead to a dark particle able to interact with the Standard Model
particles over cosmological times. This review will also focus on whether we
need a paradigm shift, from pure collisionless dark particles emerging from
"first principles", to particles that we can discover only by looking to how
they have designed the structure of the galaxies. \keywords{Dark matter \and
Galaxies \and Cosmology \and Elementary particles}
