As there was no central authority or authorities to call upon, people were largely left on their own, creating a sense of insecurity and dread which could only be overcome by the strict adhesion to religion. The best asset for a man from the Classical age was patriotism. The bringing together of so many people of different origin under one government, led to the maturation of juridical thought and the expansion of a vast administrative network which to handle order and stability in the empire. People in the West did not have the stability which their Eastern counterparts in Constantino.