Quote:
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"Contrary to what most people feel, touching your cap to the squire may be damn bad for the squire but it's damn good for you."
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Tolkien was fairly Victorian in worldview. The old forms were his comfort zone. He rarely went to see films, didn't drive a car, and was a devout Pre-Vatican II Catholic.
Thus "touching your cap" (ie., saluting or doffing a cap), which originated as "touching/tugging one's forelock", a sign of reverent deference from a vassal to a seigneur, was good in Tolkien's estimation as a sign of his own humility. It was bad for the squire because in essence it fed his ego, and was anything but humble, particularly if the squire expected such deference from his cottagers.