Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank no. 4.

The correct answer is 'Assailant'.

Key Points

• The central idea of the passage is that discourtesy is not recognised as a crime by law and thus, it is not legally punishable.
• Let us refer to this line from the passage, "It does this because the burglar and the ___(4)___ have broken quite definite commands of the law". 
• The above sentence is a continuation of the previous sentence which tells that if a burglar breaks into a person's house and the person attacks the burglar in self-defence, the law will acquit the person as both the burglar and the attacker have gone against the law to some extent. 
• In option 2, 'assailant' means someone who attacks another.
• So, 'assailant' is the correct word for blank no. 4

So, the correct sentence is - It does this because the burglar and the assailant have broken quite definite commands of the law.

Additional Information

• Let us look into the meanings of other words:
  • Owner: one who has the legal or rightful title to something.
  • Accomplice: a partner in crime.
  • Advocate: a person who works and argues in support of another's cause especially in court.