On Feb 1, 2010, at 5:12 PM, David Jackson wrote:
On 2/1/10 2:31 PM, Mark Tapley wrote:;-) Bilbo Baggins *was* a thief. Somewhat reluctant and not too clever about it, but hey.I would argue that Bilbo Baggins, by the text, was a "burglar".I know it's a trivial difference, and certainly one of pure semantics, but I've always thought of burglars as those who gain unlawful entry for personal gain, but thieves are the ones who steal everything not nailed down for personal gain.
Actually, while Bilbo's main job was to burgle Smaug's lair, he did also pick a troll's pocket mostly just for the fun of it, not to mention swiping food and some keys while trapped in the Elven-king's castle. You could even argue that he stole the Ring, but then you could also say it was a legitimate case of finders-keepers.
Anyway, the point is that while Bilbo didn't exactly steal *everything* not nailed down, he definitely qualifies as a thief as well as a burglar.
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