[Kalimac]

I wanted to believe in him but really couldn't; I didn't doubt his sincerity *at the moment he was speaking* but he had not exactly shown himself to be steadfast before, except in his loyalty to the Precious. He just wasn't the kind of person you could depend on without question, like Sam, and never would be. He does look bad compared to Sam Of No Self-Interest, I have to say. (OK, Sam's a little jealous of Gollum in the sense of Frodo taking him under his wing, but wouldn't you sleep with one eye open in the same situation?)

Saucepan Man, I think you're right that Smeagol was inherently - not evil, exactly, but more weak in the face of temptation, more naturally prone so to speak. Also, while the comparison to Boromir is apt, I never got the impression that Boromir meant to murder Frodo regardless in order to get at the Ring. It's easy to see him killing half-accidentally in the heat of the moment, but if he had really wanted Frodo dead, he could have done it in a heartbeat. The fact that he did *not* kill Frodo efficiently, then take the Ring, argues that he had a much stronger character than Smeagol, especially since, as you say, this was the result of several months' exposure.

Smeagol, on the other hand - one look at the Ring, one demand (not even Boromir's halfhearted kickoff "Could we share?" proposal, just "I want that"). Deagol says no, Smeagol strangles him in the next five minutes, and knowing Gollum's later style it's safe to say that Deagol was attacked from behind. Boromir, whatever his personal issues, would never had done anything like that; and in fact, he didn't.