Who on middle-earth is Lotho?

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Rune Son of Bjarne

Another Hobbit clearly targeted as a bad person in the initial chapters, and then, lo and behold, also turns out a villain in the end.

That's the thing, though - he isn't really a villain. He's a disliked person, and a Sackville-Baggins to boot, but he doesn't seem to be particularly villainous. He was more of a pawn in Saruman's plan. He himself is not important, he's used purely as a figurehead. If it wasn't him, it would have been someone else. It's not like he was the only hobbit in the Shire with bad inclinations, he jut got "lucky".

I have no issue with Lotho being a very background character - and he is so throughout, cause we never actually see him in the end either, and really he's just Saruman's puppet, so we don't know how much of what we hear about him is actually him. What does bother me, though, is how quickly the hobbits jump to the conclusion that Lotho is at the bottom of the problems even before they reach the Shire. Is he that unpopular that he outdoes every other unpopular hobbit? He can't be the only bad apple in the bunch (and we know he isn't - look at Ted Sandyman!). Why do they decide it's Lotho's fault before they even know what exactly is happening?