he comes close, here, to making an anti-war statement. His statement is
all the more effective, I judge, because Thorin does have reasons for his
behavior. Roäc says what the others fear to say, and Thorin's response
again persuades Bilbo that Thorin will not be persuaded to give up the treasure
unless Bilbo resorts to unorthodox
means.
“I dislike Allegory - the conscious and intentional allegory - yet any attempt to explain the purport of myth or fairytale must use allegorical language. (And, of course, the more 'life' a story has the more readily will it be susceptible of allegorical interpretations: while the better a deliberate allegory is made the more nearly will it be acceptable just as a story.)” (From Tolkien Letter # 131.)
