Bilbo´s treachery

[Ivriniel]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

For me, that's a crucial point in an argument against the Ring being a factor in Bilbo's dealings with the Arkenstone.

Doing what he did was really a selfless, dangerous act, and he handed the Arkenstone over to Bard with a "glance of longing", true, but no real problem. Even if he'd wanted the stone for himself, how would that have been to the benefit of the Ring?

I see Bilbo's mild lust for the stone as an artifact of his time with the Dwarves, and his limited contact with Smaug (touch of dragon-sickness, maybe).

It's a double-true for me to this post. It was paradoxically selfless, and I have to see some of the 'evil-lust' theme in the behaviour too.

In a third 'prong' of argument:

Whilst also sustaining the views upstream about it being dishonest, awkward and violation of fidelity to the Dwarves in the breach of trust sense. Strangely selfless to damage trust, is the new perspective emerging as I read on. Interesting comment Inziladun