After an evil action, there should be a restoration of balance and order in society.

~ Restitution to the victim may be required of the criminal who steals, for example.

Retribution does not mean vindication or revenge.

~ These actions are sinful in nature

Lex Talionis, or an 'eye for an eye' from the biblical tradition of Mosaic Law, appeals to this restoration of the good.

"That Cain was not killed, but bore in the sight of all men a mark of reprobation is, in any case, the lesson we should draw from the Old Testament.“

- Albert Camus