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A lot of this of course is Tolkien's technique of 'calquing:' the Shire (and Bree) are intended to have the feel of relatively modern England, whereas the other cultures are more archaic. The Anglo-Saxons has no surnames! A formation like Harold Godwinson was a cognomen, a descriptive epithet, used to distinguish him from other Harolds (and to remind folks that he was the son of the great Earl Godwin). Likewise, 'Frealaf Hildeson' appears as a tip that Frealaf was not in the direct male line, but Helm's nephew by his sister Hilde.
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The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.
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