Think of a contract as a private set of laws that only apply to the two parties who signed it. Those two parties have determined and agreed to the subject, consideration, timing, duration, etc. for the contract. Generally, the court does not interfere with the parties agreement, except in certain circumstances (e.g. if the subject of the contract violates public policy). When a contract is breached and a lawsuit is filed, the court will generally award compensatory damages that make the non-breaching party whole again, as if the breach didnt happen. The court rarely awards punitive damages that are designed to punish the breaching party.