Andrew helps fill in the mythological and historical backstory that made this chapter difficult for Patrick to follow. In spite of Strider’s wary protection and learned stories, the reader feels the escalation of fear and isolation endured by the hobbits and the inevitability of Frodo succumbing to the Ring.

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Patrick, like Frodo, is inclined to trust the mysterious stranger, Strider, whose language makes him feel fair though he looks foul. Though Sam has already shown surprising wisdom and good hobbit sense, his protective loyalty makes him disappoint Strider’s hope for trust. Andrew and Patrick consider Strider’s background, Butterbur’s ability to read, and the whimsey in Gandalf’s letter.

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Patrick and Andrew explore the cultural uniqueness of Bree, where Hobbits and Men live separately but in harmony, while reflecting on today’s urban lack of understanding of older village life. Patrick appreciates Tolkien’s way of alternating strife and rest, noting that the hobbits get a little too comfortable in the hospitable environment provided by Mr. Butterbur.

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Andrew and Patrick contemplate the showdown between the life-sucking, disincarnate, spiritual black hole that is the barrow wight and the crazily-dressed, joy-filled silliness of Tom Bombadil wielding the laughter of heaven. They peer into the psychological drama undergone by Frodo, petrified by the horror, strengthened by memories of Bilbo, and finally cleansed by the sound and sight of Bombadil.

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Patrick and Andrew join the hobbits in enjoying the safety and calm that come from Goldberry and Tom, and in their puzzles about Who is Tom - hippy, nature god, Christ-figure? They note his complete freedom from fear and his Eden-like mastery of and insight into the natural world.

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Andrew and Patrick discuss the merits of the hobbits - charming, not wanting to be great but with a strong sense of duty and friendship that makes them ready to take up an adventure. Their adventurous spirit is quickly quelled by the darkness of the wild forest, and their lack of dialogue can make it hard going for the reader also.

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Andrew and Patrick discuss the difficulties readers face in the “journey before the journey” and encourage them to enter imaginatively into the experience, perhaps by hearing it read aloud. They note that the hobbits sing as they walk - strange to us but natural to times before electronically recorded music. The dangers they have encountered make Frodo reluctant to take his friends on his quest but Sam shows how much he has already grown through it.

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After looking at the map of the Shire, Andrew and Patrick reflect on the dangers the hobbits experience in their seemingly safe homeland. Frodo, Sam, and Pippin have different reactions to their magical first meeting with Elves. Patrick is beginning to experience the story as a vocational journey in which Jesus is the Way.

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Andrew situates The Lord of the Rings in the context of The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s tales of the Elves, and in the Christian story. They discuss how the Ring tempts Gandalf to use it to coerce people for their own good but the hobbits by a possessive desire for its beauty. They also note Gandalf’s Providential prudence.

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Andrew and Patrick take sides in the hilarious social conflict between Bilbo and his fellow hobbits, while recognizing the divide that has arisen because of Bilbo’s adventures in The Hobbit. Patrick loves the simple and refreshing character of the ordinary hobbits, while Andrew notes the comic way they think anybody different is queer.

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