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Why did Epicurus believe justice was useful for avoiding anxiety?

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Bronze bust of Epicurus with a full beard and draped clothing, displayed on a round inscribed base at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. — Epicureanism Epicurus, bronze bust from a Greek original, c. 280–270 bce; in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

In Epicurean philosophy, justice is viewed through the lens of utility, serving as a practical tool to minimize pain and maintain ataraxia—a state of tranquility free from mental or emotional disquiet.12

Epicurus believed that justice is not an abstract ideal but a social contract or agreement among individuals to neither harm nor be harmed by one another. By adhering to these principles of justice, individuals avoid the anxiety, fear, and social turbulence that arise from conflict, legal repercussions, or the threat of retaliation. Because the ultimate goal of Epicurean ethics is the absence of pain in both the body and the soul, living justly becomes a necessary, pragmatic strategy to ensure a quiet, withdrawn life, allowing the individual to focus on friendship and the pursuit of simple pleasures without the disturbance of external threats.13