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Originally Posted by alatar
Not even a little mischief was possible, as no teeth remained in either of these two's heads. .... Not so with the prisoners that Morgoth and Sauron release. Each was sent out with some intent, whether to do a specific deed or just to foment discord.
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This is an interesting contrast between Orwell and Tolkien. Orwell's State was seen as so overwhelmingly powerful, and the Winstons so powerless, that there was no hope that the "good" could win out. By contrast, Morgoth's strategy of sending out "broken" ex-prisoners to cause doubt an despair amongst his enemies, is evidence that Morgoth was quite in doubt about his own chances of victory. This bespeaks a fundamental difference in the ways Orwell and Tolkien viewed the world: Orwell gave his readers a glimpse powerlessness and despair whereas Tolkien gave his readers a glimpse of profound triumph at a profound cost, but not without recourse nor hope.