[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

But isn't Bilbo showing kindness (or at least courtesy) to Gollum? Don't we see a tiny bit of his former self (=Sméagol) there?

Yes, Bilbo is showing courtesy, though when he does, he doesn't really have any pity for Gollum; just fear, right? His pity for Gollum only manifests when he has a choice to try to jump over Gollum or to kill him. And at that point, Gollum's only objective is to 'catch the thief' and no doubt mete out 'justice' of a sort (I wouldn't want that kind of justice, would you?). By contrast, Frodo has had time to think and consider what he would do if confronted with Gollum, and has grown in character far beyond what was required of Bilbo. When it comes time for him to show pity, he is doing it very consciously and obviously, showing a formidable mastery of self-control that frankly astounds Gollum into a reversion to Sméagol. ... and only then does Sméagol come out.

Consider what a child like, willing to please, capering, dog-like servant Sméagol is. None of that is evident in this chapter. In this chapter, Gollum is a callous and clever killer (ooh, don't we love our alliteration! ), very threatening and not in the least anything near Sméagol, who is quite dormantly buried deep within the heart of Gollum.

Originally Posted by Tuor of Gondolin

Ssss. Always poor Smeagol is picked on. Didn't we just go over to see The Baggins out of curiosity, preciouss.

Originally Posted by Jenny Hallu

Smeagol wasn't ever gone from Gollum's character, but I think he just never argued until Frodo came into the picture.

I agree with this; the reason was that Sméagol was too weak until Gollum was chained by his vow to the Ring.