The Hobbit: 10 Dumbest Character Decisions

After Smaug was awakened and angered by the Dwarves in Thorin’s company, he headed to Lake Town in a fit of rage and revenge. Within a few moments he had all but destroyed the town, leaving it a burning shell floating on the water.

Most people tried to escape the fire, save for Bard and his son Bain, including the Master of the town. Ever greedy, selfish, and unaffected by the plight of his people, the villainous Master tried to flee on a boat with as much gold as he possibly could.

This made their vessel just too heavy, and too slow to escape the fiery death that stalked them. He even knew they were going too slow, but instead of sacrificing his and the town’s heavy gold, he pushed Alfrid into the lake, making very little difference.

He was ultimately crushed under the weight of the humungous beast falling from the sky, but if he hadn’t been quite as greedy, he may well have made it out alive. Instead, he died surrounded by the gold that he loved more than anything.