1. What are Dain's plans? Does he have any? Roäc doubts that any good can come
from Dain's arrival--is there any way for Dain's arrival to lead to a good
outcome for the dwarves?
This is like the muster of the Rohirrim, in a way, an army going in to battle
with the knowledge that it is outnumbered by its foes.
2. If Dain is willing and able to mobilize 500 dwarves on short notice to come
to Thorin's aid, why didn't more dwarves join Thorin's expedition in the first
place?
Fighting a dragon is one thing, but going against Elves and Men is another!
3. Why does Roäc think the counsel he brings is bad? What does he think Thorin
et al. would have done had they not known Dain was coming? What do you think
they would have done?
Roac knows that the Dwarves won't survive a long siege, but Thorin at this
point is beyond
listening.
Most people have made this mistake of thinking Middle-earth is a particular
kind of Earth or is another planet of the science fiction sort but it's just
an old fashioned word for this world we live in, . . . at a different stage of imagination. --Tolkien's Last Radio Interview
