[Galadriel55]

I don't think that Bilbo's deed was honest, in respect to the Dwarves. He does not think so either. But he knew it was necessary, which is why he did it, and why Gandalf approved. Sometimes doing the ultimately right thing isn't necessarily doing what might be right in an isolated moment. In the modern times, if your friend, who lives by a lake, is on hallucinogens and decides that he can walk on water - lock him up in his room, and preferably restrain him from doing too much damage. You might be a jerk to your friend, in that moment, but you're doing the right thing. And if it's a good friend, they'll thank you after.


Debating whether or not Bilbo's act qualifies as stealing is, in my opinion, an unfruitful argument. It was dishonest. It was not nice. But it was the right thing to do, and the Dwarves, including Thorin, saw that in the end. The contract - it's technical rubbish. Bilbo and the Dwarves might use it to throw "technically" arguments at each other to justify their behaviour, especially in times when their behaviour is most questionable, but at the end of the day they believe in greater things than petty legal technicalities. Why would a well-bred hobbit do such a dishonest thing? Because this particular well-bred hobbit agreed to go god knows where in the company of thirteen unknown men who trashed his house. If Bilbo has enough Took in him to step over that line, he might be one of the few who have enough adventurousness to rise above other rules as well. Was it a good act? Yesno: depends how you argue. It was certainly not good in that it was dishonest, and Bilbo did betray Thorin&co's trust, but it was good in that it was ultimately the right thing to do.