It is dark, as the game of riddles is played among strangers (Bilbo, Gollum) and whoever else is present (?)‹all the while, Gollum tries to spy on visible Bilbo‹all the while, Gollum's ring is unseen because it is inside of Bilbo's pocket and hidden‹while Gollum searches for the hidden ring inside of his trunk‹while Bilbo realizes that his hidden ring will make him invisible. In terms of narrative structure, we should consider the riddle-game as a decoy that is less significant (morally and plot-wise) than the "foil" story concerning the loss and ownership of the ring. With the ring, Bilbo is immune to surveillance, though his shadows are troublesome. More important, the ring does not turn Bilbo into a wretched Gollum. Gollum's ring is a foil to Bilbo's riddle-game, but there is no simple equation of parallelism, foils or contrasts when we look at the two characters, Bilbo and Gollum. Both are thieves, tricksters and clever; both are armed and offer the truth sparingly. Still, Bilbo has compassion for Gollum, genuinely suffers when he hears the creature wailing and most important: Bilbo refuses to use an imbalance of power against Gollum. Gollum's greatest fault is his willingness to invisibly stalk blind things. This produces an awkward amalgam of pride and hubris in Gollum ('I'm a big fish in a small pond') but it also provokes our sympathy (he is in a pond, newly acquainted with his fear of the goblins). It seems that every detail of the chapter foreshadows Tolkien's later work‹the Trilogy more so than this novel. Suffice to say, this ring is very important. Gollum will reappear in the LOTR trilogy and Bilbo is very different now. In terms of theme, we might begin considering how heavy doses of foreshadowing (on the literary plane) and theft/heirlooms within the story itself, chip away at ideas of "free-will" and "self-knowledge" and turn the ring into a symbol of fate and destiny. Let the tobacco-pipe stand in opposition to the ring,as a symbol of nostalgia, domesticity and the hearth‹forces that would will Bilbo back to his hobbit-hole. Chapter Six: Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire

Bilbo has escaped the goblins but he is still lost and has no clue where he is. He sees that he is on the east side of the mountains, at the edge of the Land Beyond. Bilbo fears that his friends are lost and he thinks of returning to find them. Fortunately, he finds the group and surprises them with his presence‹he is able to sneak upon them wearing the ring. He tells the story of Gollum though he neglects mentioning the ring. Inside of the Goblin tunnels, the group has lost track of several days and though they are disoriented, they must continue forward. After all, the goblins are intent upon avenging the death of Great Goblin. Gandalf urges the group ahead and they encounter a pack of wolves.