Rank superstition is a little understood but very important part of the rule-making, society creating process. More people are affected by rank superstition in the world than are influenced and affected by "justice,"  "legal precedent," "constitutions" or other motivations and justifications. This is part of the "chaotic" element at play in the world. No one really knows how much a leaders decision making process is influenced by the fact that said leader may have been startled by a black cat.
 

1. All initiates will break their mother's back if they step on a crack. 2. You will have bad luck if you wear black. 3. If you wear black 42 days in a row you will have good luck. 4. Black cats are not evil, evil people who use black cats are evil. 5. Amber beads, worn as a necklace, can protect against illness or cure colds. 6. It's bad luck to put a hat on a bed. 7. Crows: One's bad, Two's luck, Three's health, Four's wealth, Five's sickness, Six is death. 8. Dream of fish: someone you know is pregnant. 9. Mirrors in a house with a corpse should be covered or the person who sees himself will die next. 10. It's bad luck to put a hat on a cat. 11. Addendum to #10: It's bad luck to put a hat on a cat unless your name is Theodore S. Geisel. E.C.