"The Ring"
The question is: was it moral to take the Ring, when Bilbo already knew that it belongs to Gollum amd how he loves it? Even when he already escaped him and Gollum wasn't a danger to him anymore? I would say that Bilbo still feared the creature that literally told him that it will eat him, having a chance. But honestly, taking the Ring from Gollum was two-sided blade. And it wasn't completely Bilbo's action, even if it seemed like so - to escaepe from clutches of a monster, of goblin's den and join the dwarves again.
First at all, it deeply scarred Gollum. He wasn't anymore immune to goblin attacks and was in big danger, as we know that he was weak of posture and destroyed by the working of dark magic. He was already too addicted to Ring, to go back to normalcy. Pained and in constant danger, he became even more a wreck of a living being. Judging then, from Gollum's perspective, it was inhuman to take the Ring from him, deprive him from his precious, throw into hands of Sauron's orcs and expose on eternal hunger of the soul.
Second of, though, if the Ring stayed with Gollum, it would be long gone, in Sauron's grasp and he would conquer Middle-Earth within a blink of an eye. If Frodo didn't get the Ring, he wouldn't be able to throw it into Mount Doom, the history would take a morbid twist and the evil forces would win.
Bilbo took the Ring, also because of very important factor. It already influenced him, chose him as its new owner, temporary owner, but still. The Ring wanted to escape from Gollum, from secluded place, where it couldn't go back to Sauron. It craved to again land in its Master's hands and chose the first occassion to break free.
The Ring basically forced Bilbo to take it from Gollum and ironically that way, it put a brick to Sauron's defeat.
But still, from Gollum's point of view, it was disaster, which led to his torture and death.
Overall, I think the moment when Bilbo didn't just leave the Ring and the caves, returning the same way the Ring to Gollum, was privotal point in whole Middle-Earth'e history. And it was doubled edged ax of dark force which was about to doom itself.
First at all, it deeply scarred Gollum. He wasn't anymore immune to goblin attacks and was in big danger, as we know that he was weak of posture and destroyed by the working of dark magic. He was already too addicted to Ring, to go back to normalcy. Pained and in constant danger, he became even more a wreck of a living being. Judging then, from Gollum's perspective, it was inhuman to take the Ring from him, deprive him from his precious, throw into hands of Sauron's orcs and expose on eternal hunger of the soul.
Second of, though, if the Ring stayed with Gollum, it would be long gone, in Sauron's grasp and he would conquer Middle-Earth within a blink of an eye. If Frodo didn't get the Ring, he wouldn't be able to throw it into Mount Doom, the history would take a morbid twist and the evil forces would win.
Bilbo took the Ring, also because of very important factor. It already influenced him, chose him as its new owner, temporary owner, but still. The Ring wanted to escape from Gollum, from secluded place, where it couldn't go back to Sauron. It craved to again land in its Master's hands and chose the first occassion to break free.
The Ring basically forced Bilbo to take it from Gollum and ironically that way, it put a brick to Sauron's defeat.
But still, from Gollum's point of view, it was disaster, which led to his torture and death.
Overall, I think the moment when Bilbo didn't just leave the Ring and the caves, returning the same way the Ring to Gollum, was privotal point in whole Middle-Earth'e history. And it was doubled edged ax of dark force which was about to doom itself.