Characters paying attention

[Huinesoron]

In the aftermath of the attack on Weathertop, Frodo is half-dozing when he hears this:

Originally Posted by FotR: Flight to the Ford

'Look!' he cried; and stooping he lifted from the ground a black cloak that had lain there hidden by the darkness. A foot above the lower hem there was a slash. 'This was the stroke of Frodo's sword,' he said. 'The only hurt that it did to his enemy, I fear; for it is unharmed, but all blades perish that pierce that dreadful King. More deadly to him was the name of Elbereth.'

A full chapter later, Frodo again has to face the Nazgul, and what do we see?

Originally Posted by FotR: Flight to the Ford

]With a great effort Frodo sat upright and brandished his sword.

'Go back!' he cried. 'Go back to the Land of Mordor, and follow me no more! ' His voice sounded thin and shrill in his own ears. The Riders halted, but Frodo had not the power of Bombadil. His enemies laughed at him with a harsh and chilling laughter. 'Come back! Come back!' they called. 'To Mordor we will take you!'

'Go back!' he whispered.

'The Ring! The Ring!' they cried with deadly voices; and immediately their leader urged his horse forward into the water, followed closely by two others.

'By Elbereth and Lúthien the Fair,' said Frodo with a last effort, lifting up his sword, 'you shall have neither the Ring nor me!'

It doesn't work, but it's clear Frodo was paying attention to Aragorn when he talked about what is effective against the Nine. He listened! And just like a real person, he took what was said in his hearing and he remembered it for when it became relevant again.

Are there other examples of characters actually listening to what they're told? Not when they're specifically sat down and told "Young Hobbit, this is important", or when they refer back to it by saying "Gandalf told me that I must watch for this" - but just times when the actions they take clearly show that something that happened around them actually sank in, despite not being obviously relevant at the time.

hS