The Hobbit: 10 Dumbest Character Decisions

The quest of the Dwarves of Erebor, from Bag End in the Shire to the Lonely Mountain, was not done in isolation. Thorin and company wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near the mountain without the likes of Gandalf, Bard, and the people of Lake Town.

For the latter, all they received on the other end of the quest was fire and death, in spite of being promised a share of the wealth within Erebor. Bard only wanted Thorin to honour his word and give what was promised, while Thranduil wanted a handful of gems that once belonged to the Elves.

While it is slightly understandable Thorin wanted Thranduil to have no part of the treasure, as he offered no help when Smaug first attacked the mountain, even so would this not have been worth avoiding war? He could have given half of his gold away and would still have had wealth beyond measure.

Whether it was dragon sickness or just greed, something within Thorin’s mind led him to war, death, and destruction rather than sharing the spoils of the mountain as he promised. He traded his and the lives of others instead of losing a mere drop in the ocean of gold.