Hope is not a wish. It is not optimism or naivety. It is an assertion. It is telling the world, “No, this is not the way things will be; things will be better.” For both Marcel and Tolkien, it is only with hope that we banish despair. 

You do not haggle with or beg the darkness. Like a blazing torch, you must shine hope brightly and fiercely. - Jonny Thomson, The Secret to a Good Fairy Tale

Link: https://bigthink.com/high-culture/tolkien-marcel-and-hope/