1. Blasted committees! :-)

Saruman dissuaded them from attacking, as he didn't want his own hunt for the Ring to be uncovered.

2. Sauron is strongest in Mordor, his ancient seat of power.

Dain: a true hero. We've seen how fiercely loyal Dwarves are to members of their own clan, but what a wonderful image of this venerable dwarf guarding the body of a King of Men. Dain, like Gimli, has the ability to forge bonds with outsiders. He's wise and noble, with all the good qualities of typical Dwarves but few of their weaknesses.

Dain is a loss to Middle-earth, but he lived a long life and died well - very well.

Sauron makes use of the weaknesses of those whom he would defeat. One of the things that makes his victory more likely is the estrangement of the Peoples of Middle-earth from each other. On the micro level, the sins of pride, despair, envy and other nasties all help the growth of evil.

A rather shallow answer to your intriguing question, I'm afraid.

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Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?

- A Room With a View