This weekend, I watched the last episode of The Hobbitt trilogy. Your article made me realize for one of this story's important lessons.

When Bilbo returned to The Shire, the village people were auctioning off his assets, assuming that he was dead because he had been gone for so long. Rather than welcome him back, the people were annoyed with his return, as they were anticipating a little profit from his estate.

Yet Bilbo's adventure helped keep the devastating war away from The Shire. The Shire people had no understanding of how they had been saved.

The parallels are too uncanny.