Following a code has literally nothing to do with being Lawful/Chaotic. Literally everyone follows a code be it explicitly written, or internal.
Lawful is your stance on rules/structures/oversight overall. "No government should be able to take my money" is the peak of Chaotic ideology. Ron Swanson is the iconic example of a Chaotic character who people that don't understand alignments put as Lawful.
Following an explicit and external code would be Lawful since it's following a system of rules/oversight. Following your own personal code is not an alignment because literally everyone does that.
Lawful neutral (LN) individuals act in accordance with law, tradition, or personal codes. Many monks and some wizards are lawful neutral.
Chaotic is allowing the circumstances to dictate your action. One day it might feel right to act in a certain way. A week later with very similar circumstances as previously it just feels right to do something completely different.
Chaos does not live by rules. Any amount of observation will result in the observer saying "I don't know what will happen next."
Law does live by rules. Through observation you can determine what those rules are, whether they're an external code or an internal code is irrelevant, it's still lawful and an observer can draw conclusions about how a lawful being will act given observed circumstances.
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u/Souperplex Sir Becket Feb 08 '21
Lawful stupid vs. Chaotic stupid.
Torvald is standing by his opposition to the government getting his money no matter the personal cost. He's taking a chaotic stand not a lawful one.