Sauron might have been rather embarrassed in front of the balrog for a couple of reasons. The first is Sauron's failure and then desertion of Morgoth's cause in the First Age. The second is how much weaker Third Age Sauron had become. Thirdy, there was that business about Sauron claiming in the Third Age to be Melkor returned...which obviously wouldn't have taken the balrog in for a moment and might have made it rather angry.
The relationship between them may have been rather similar to that of Sauron and Shelob in a way. They were aware of each other but left each other alone...barring the occasional snack. The balrog does seem in a way to be working with the orcs to some extent and was certainly aware of the things they were up to...but he also seems more than a little disinterested in them. He didn't stir a finger to save them in the Battle of Azanulbizar but had the dwarves tried to enter Moria it probably would have been a very different story. To keep them out was probably the only reason he bothered to be at the gate at all that day.
I agree that he largely wanted to be left alone.
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...finding a path that cannot be found, walking a road that cannot be seen, climbing a ladder that was never placed, or reading a paragraph that has no...
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