A point about the legal discussion of the contract between Bilbo and Thorin: I think this contract is void (from the beginning) since there's no sovereign who could defend (and establish) the validity of the contract against both of the contracting parties. There's no legal instance which could force one (or both) of the parties to act according to the contractual clauses, or issue punishment otherwise.
Aside from the legal discussion, Bilbo's so called
treachery is the thing I admire the most about his character in
The Hobbit. In the end Bilbo doesn't follow a
pack mentality, but does what he thinks is the right thing to do. To archive that he considered the means at hand.
I'd like to close my post with a quote that answers a similar accusation, but in a different context:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by The Silmarillion, Of the flight of the Noldor
But Olwë answered: 'We renounce no friendship. But it may be the part of a friend to rebuke a friend's folly.'
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