Failure and Punishment

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

In my earlier post, however, I was particularly interested in the actions of those characters who are not generally considered to be morally ambiguous. Bilbo and Eowyn both commit “wrongful acts” (theft and disobedience to authority), yet they do so with good intentions and, ultimately, for the greater good. Where do these acts fit within the moral framework of Tolkien’s world?

Perhaps it is helpful to consider that the moral framework of Tolkien's world partakes of Northern sensibilities every bit as much as Catholic. By that I mean that loyalty, even in secret disobedience of a positive command, is considered to be truer than the obedience of remaining at home and not with one's lord. This would be the case of Eowyn. I'm not sure that I have sufficiently described in what way this is particularly Northern, as I'm floating a conjecture, but it seems to best fit the situation.

Bilbo's case could be considered equivalent to a small army at war in which a spy or burglar is considered to be held to his contract to the side he is allied with rather than to the moral code that war sets aside by virtue of its nature.