Did you trust Gollum/Smeagol?

[Mungo of Bracegirdle]

Gollum - purely evil. Nothing redeeming about that vile creature at all. I never felt the least bit sorry for him. He was a baddie before the Ring showed up and after... well, it was all downhill from there.

I cannot agree with this. Smeagol was not evil to start with. Yes, he did have certain undesirable qualities (jealousy, sneakiness, and an unquenchable curiosity) but that does not make him evil. Indeed, the evilness of the ring simply played off these qualities. He was jealous he did not find the ring. He was envious. The ring felt it, and in its desperate straits exerted its power over Smeagol, effectively making him kill his friend. From that moment forward, the ring enslaved Smeagol. I think its very sad and he deserves our pity. However, our trust is another matter. Smeagol always felt the power of the ring once it got a hold of him. The ring is treachorous. Therefore, so is Smeagol, and its never a good idea to trust a traitor!

Cheers