Why destroy Laketown's bridge?

[Nogrod]

We all tend to have our main focuses. But to me it was this that carried the discussion a bit further (at least I think so myself):

Originally Posted by Nogrod

just a depiction of how people react to a threat - even if that reaction is not the best one considering the opposition they face. Or should all characters in an epic story only behave in the optimal way? You can't possibly require that. And what would be the fun or excitement of a story where every actor was infallible and doing only the "right thing"?

I mean what are you exactly going after? Isn't it enough that Tolkien depicted the way the Laketowners acted - like the French with their Maginot-line - and while that wasn't the most effective solution they could have come up with it opened a way to a host of dramatic illustrations for him (like people running away by boats)? And it was believable.

Or do you really think all the actors in an epic should only act according to the optimal way of achievement and thence presume they all know beforehand what the future will bring them ie. making all the characters in a story all-knowledgeable gods?

I guess Tolkien's writings are full of depictions where people make wrong assessments of situations and that's the point of all mythologies and stories, that people get things wrong...