Addressing things in the order they come to mind:
elfling: Can it be said that a benign community is necessary to produce people (hobbits) who are basically healthy and sound of mind and heart, to do the great things that need doing in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles?
Gandalf: Your mention of Gollum as outcast put me in mind of Beregond of the Guard, who, upon hearing from King Elessar that he must leave Minas Tirith, blanches in pain for he sees it as being outcast before the King resolves his justice with mercy. Again, though in a different context, we see the importance of community.
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