With Chapter discussions on hiatus for a while, I figured I'd throw some questions out there. I found this stuff while re-reading LOTR for the millionth time, and it shocked me.
It might shock you, too.

Ok, ok. We all love Sam. If I were take a survey of people favorite two characters (In LOTR), answers would very a lot, but I'd guess that almost everyone would put Sam somewhere on their list. After all he's the most likable character. He's an average guy, unlike all the other characters. It'd be like if the guy down the street were caught up in some huge historical event. He's also passionate, determined, and the most often described character in the book (in fact I'd say he's almost the only character described in the book). He could also be the biggest threat to the quest of all. An evil Sam.
I'll give you a minute to let the rage/surprise/confusion wear off. "What! Evil! No, no, not Sam". That's probably the typical response to that kind of statement. Although, if you look, Tolkien makes it pretty clear about his intentions:

"He [Sam] suspected him more deeply than ever, and if possible liked the new Gollum, the Smeagol, less than the old." (Pg. 604 Line 35)

"He restrained the thoughts of his sword and the rope that sprang to his mind" (Pg. 609 Line 19)

"Sam's mind was occupied mostly with his master, hardly noticing the dark cloud that had fallen on his own heart." (Pg. 616 Line 39)

That's some pretty dark stuff (particularly the last one). It seems clear that Sam is genuinely contemplating killing Gollum. So here's some questions for you guys:

What exactly is Tolkien trying to say here? Is Sam really the biggest threat to the quest (being that without Gollum, they would have never made it to Mt. Doom, or if the did, Frodo would have probably failed)?

If so what does this mean to you (not allegory remember, applicability)? Is it some kind of statement on bias? Maybe pity?

Does this dilute from Sam's typical image?

Any other comments about this?

I'm trying to be open ended and let you decide what, if anything these quotes mean. Fell free to add your own two cents and ignore my questions. After all, these are kind of obscure lines. Anyway, I'm sure you guys all have some opinion on this.