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Originally Posted by lathspell
Well, as I recall Saruman wasn't their first experience of the world outside the Shire. Their has been the Fell Winter when the wolves crossed the river Isen and had to be fought be the Hobbits. THe Hobbits had also fought a battle against the orcs of mount Gundabad (when the Bullroarer invented the game of golf by hitting an orc's so hard it flew a hundred yards into the air and vanished in a rabbithole). And last, the passing of the Ringwraiths through the Shire would be an experience to remember as well, especially since buckland raised the alarm for the first time in ages. So, I don't think the Hobbits actually lost their innocence in this matter.
lathspell
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I think the difference is that in the Saruman period some Hobbits went over to the 'other side' (Lotho, Sandyman, some of the Shirrifs, etc). It wasn't the fact that they'd suffered under Saruman & the ruffians, but the fact that they weren't a 'united folk' anymore. It was no longer a case of all pulling together to get through the bad times - some Hobbits would turn on their own for their own benefit. It would have been that betrayal that shocked them out of their innocence & complacency - which Hobbits could be trusted if a similar situation recurred?