A Probably too Sympathetic View of Gríma

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Hot, crispy nice hobbit

The question then, is did Wormtongue really ate Lotho? Or was Saruman only jesting in cold blood? As it seems, Saruman may have coerced Worm to cannibalize like the orcs that had been under his command. But if so, it might even be argued that wormtongue himself was deprived.

I don't think Grima did eat him. What seems to be happening is that in his clever way, Saruman is shifting some of the focus of the anger off himself and onto Grima by making the Hobbits think that Grima had done such a deed. He is also making him seem even lower than he already is, dragging him down even further, as if he has not been brought low enough already. That we are prepared to believe Grima could do such a thing shows how low he had been brought - a case of how the mighty are fallen - in both our eyes (and we have always seen only the bad side of him) and in terms of his status in Middle Earth. Saruman likes having Grima to push around; he needs his company because he himself has been brought low and he needs to have someone around him who has been brought even lower.