As the news of Smaug's death spreads, various groups advance towards the mountain‹for there is treasure to be had. Analysis:

In an allusion to the Biblical story of Noah, one of the doomed citizens scoffs: "You are always foreboding gloomy things...Anything from floods to poisoned fish." Bard can also be compared to the ancient Greek character, Cassandra, who is unheeded in her prophetic warnings to the town of Troy. The name Bard establishes the character as a "story-teller" which may account for the people's disregard of his news and for Tolkien's higher estimation of the character, for Tolkien is a bard, himself. In the end, we also find the theme of knowledge and the motif of the map and key recreated in an interesting parallel. Here we meet Bard, a descendant of the people of Dale, knowledgeable in the language of the thrush-bird. Consequently, he is able to understand the secret that Bilbo discovered in the hidden cave, though in thematic terms, Bard never carried out surveillance. The key of the motif is represented by the "black arrow" that is saved as the last one in the quiver, and the image is definitely a parallel to the key that Bilbo uses because Bard is told to strike when "the moon rose above the eastern shore and silvered his [Smaug's] great wings." This is a revision of the scene of Chapter 11 when the same old thrush cracked against the door of Smaug's cave, exposing it, and allowing Bilbo to unlock the entrance just as "the gleam went out, the sun sank, the moon was gone, and evening sprang into the sky."
Chapter Fifteen: The Gathering of the Clouds

The final four chapters of the novel bring a rapid conclusion to what has happened previously. The thrush comes with news that Smaug is dead. Thorin intends to secure his kingdom, but he moves with little wisdom. With several armies approaching for their share of Smaug's treasure, the mountain is in danger and Thorin makes the situation worse by calling upon his relatives to come from various lands and claim what is rightfully theirs. Bard petitions Thorin, reminding him that not all of Smaug's treasure has come from Thorin's people. Furthermore, the recent destruction of Esgaroth has come at the provocation of Thorin and his group. Thorin remains stubborn and war seems inevitable, though Bard's requests are not unreasonable and the supply of food within the fort (a bread-like paste called "cram") is dwindling. Analysis:

In this chapter, Thorin's character development reveals the dwarf to be expectedly unappealing and disappointing.