As I said below, Gandalf could not actually "do" anything in a concrete sense
to aid Theoden, beyond providing proof that it is possible to resist Saruman.
However, one of the many things that distinguishes good from evil is the fact
that each good person is always connected to every other good person. Even as
the palantir falls from the balcony of Orthanc, Gandalf is thinking of Frodo
and Sam, while once Saruman is aware that the ring is about to be destroyed he
deserts the battle at the Black Gate entirely, leaving his hordes, whom he is
supposed to be controlling, confused and leaderless. Good never stands alone,
and the importance here is not whether Theoden could have resisted Saruman on
his own, but the fact that he didn't have to, and not only did he have the
support of Gandalf in a spiritual if not physical sense, he also had the
support of the other representatives of the free peoples of Middle Earth.
Sadly, without my book I can't think of any particular passages, but I must say
that the one you mention next, Gibbets and Crows, is one of the harshest parts
in the whole of LOTR, and I reread it several times the first time just to make
sure there were no obscenities in it that might explain how strongly it struck
me. That passage is truly a remarkable example of the impact English can have
without resorting to crass four-letter words. I don't ever want to hear anyone
say that to
me.
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Then Fëanor laughed as one fey, and he cried: 'None and none! What I have left behind I count now no loss; needless baggage on the road it has proved. Let those that cursed my name, curse me still, and whine their way back to the cages of the Valar! Let the ships burn!'
