The gods must be... blind?

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Well, I wasn't meaning that Aulë himself was materialistic or that being one of his followers naturally led to it. One can assume that a true follower of the Smith would also learn his humility toward his work and his love of the One. It's just that I've known a lot of artistic-types who let the praise for their work go to their heads — and some who let their lack of praise (comparatively speaking) embitter them. The depiction of Salieri in Amadeus comes to mind, and makes me think of Saruman. It may be that Aulë's people were a target for Melkor because of the rivalry between him and Aulë, or that some of them were more vulnerable to his wiles because he understood how to get to them, but as far as I know, Tolkien never mentioned it. It's just speculation on my part.