And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. Fear adds to the cost to criminal behavior. As the econonist says, when the cost of anything increases, other things remaining equal, less of it is demanded. The expense of crime-prevention reduces men's wealth. They believe that this expenditure prevents an even greater reduction of their wealth by criminals.
Men fund it more expensive to cooperate when crime increases.
Their lives and property are less secure. This makes them more cautious about entering into cooperative ventures with people they do not know well. The information costs of dealing with strangers are high, and some people choose not to take these extra risks. Because of sin, the division of labor is reduced. Crime-prevention activities are a means of removing risk and increasing the level of cooperation.