authority is best described as child and parents.
Only children can have an authority over them.
They are dependant/on their parents for survival. They lack the capacity to sustain themselves.

Anyone the depends on the system for sustenance and shelter have an authority over them-welfare

The rest of us engage in contracts an agreement of processes. Somehow this agreement got corrupted and now contracts are used incorrectly.

Laws are contracts with processes that we already agreed to be bound by.
If one steals they should expect one of few process to come for them.

Only the weak mistake their contract for power.
Like your gardener making you cut your grass and still forces you to pay and one actually does it