What role did greed play in Tolkien's books?

[Faramir Jones]

Tar-Jêx, you began an interesting thread here, in the discussion of Thorin II and greed. Personally, I don't believe that he and the other dwarves were greedy for wanting the hoard back. Bilbo, when talking with Smaug, pointed out that they came for Revenge, using the capital letter and emphasis. They also wanted their home back, as Galadriel55 pointed out.

Afterwards, when Smaug was dead, I believe things began to change. Thorin refused Bard's legitimate claim to some of the treasure, pointing out that he would not negotiate with an army at his gates, one that included the Elves of Mirkwood. I wonder if greed was an undisclosed reason for his refusal to negotiate.

Bard, while having a legitimate reason for fighting the dwarves, needing the treasure to help his people, might have been greedy to possess it, although for the best of reasons. He certainly didn't go off with some of it, as the Master later did.

The Elvenking is quite different. Tolkien makes it when first introducing him, that he is greedy for treasure, that being a reason why Thorin refused to talk with him. Later, however, he is able to overcome this greed, being the person reluctant to fight the dwarves in this 'war for gold'.

As Formendacil mentioned, Bilbo was the most free of greed in the book. While he takes the Arkenstone as his reward, he is prepared to freely surrender it in order for a peaceful resolution over the division of the hoard. Even later, Bilbo appears to hold to his stated earlier resolution that he took his fourteenth share and disposed of it. He would only accept two small chests, one of silver and one of gold, as a reward. Perhaps this was a symbolic payment for his rescuing the dwarves both from the giant spiders and the Elvenking's cells, something he pointed out was not included in his original contract.