Philosophical Reviews: The Hobbit

 

At the beginning of the story, Bilbo comes into possession of a magic ring that makes him invisible.

J.R.R. Tolkien was certainly inspired by Plato's ring; there are obviously some differences, but essentially there is a similarity.

In my opinion, the potential of this ring is described in the words of the wizard Gandalf, who tells Bilbo that he is "a small man in a complex world."

What does this mean? Bilbo is a potential victim of evil, which is capable of corrupting the soul of every human being, as happened to Thorin Oakshield.