Hobbit2 - Chapter 04 - Over Hill and Under Hill

[Tuor in Gondolin]

Originally posted by Inziladun
In this case the goblins don't seem to be serving anyone but themselves, certainly with no thought to Sauron (who oddly enough was recuperating in his 'summer home' not too far away). To me that's a sign that they served him only out of fear, and that in his absence were mainly disposed to lower-case 'evil': kidnapping, looting, pillaging, and so forth, as opposed to Sauron's megalomaniac obsession with world domination.

Reminds you of Shagrat and Gorbag dreaming of "the good old days" and free lancing on their own away from Mordor.

The dwarves aren't totally usless in this chapter. Thorin stops with Galdalf to fend off their goblin pursuers.

And of course, even though Tolkien didn't have his later Ring conception yet, it is a crucial chapter not only for leading to the Ring being found, but the beginning of Bilbo's growth and the correctness of Gandalf's selecting him over the dwarves objections.