In their beginnings, Garten and Sméagol-later Gollum-were known for their intelligence. But both seem to have eventually deviated from the course of what was right. Garten, according to his brother Wilfred, became more concerned with his own accomplishments than with the Cause those successes were meant to serve. Sméagol, meanwhile, became so absorbed in his search for roots and beginnings that “his head and eyes were downward.”

Both of these characters then came to a point of crisis. Garten found himself rejected by the doe he was supposedly in love with. What’s more, she turned him down in favor of his own brother. Sméagol, in his turn, witnessed his friend discovering the One Ring. And when Sméagol asked to be given it, his friend refused.

Sadly, both characters let their respective disappointments lead them to dark deeds. Garten was so hurt by Sween’s choosing Whittle that he sought out the Lords of Prey and pledged his service to them. As for Sméagol, having been refused what he wanted, he took it by force, committing murder in the process. There is some evidence that Garten may have attempted his own seizure, as he mentions that Sween escaped a trap he had laid for her.

Sméagol and Garten both became enemies of their respective families, with Sméagol using his newfound treasure for spite and earning spite in return. Garten, by his betrayals, disgraced the name of Longtreader and caused many to view all who shared ties of blood with him to be complicit in his treachery. Both characters sought to justify themselves, with Garten claiming to serve the greater good of his species. Gollum, as he had become known, tried to convince himself that the Ring had been meant to be his by virtue of when it was found, and that the family who rejected him had been unkind.

But both characters’ defenses crumble under close examination. Garten’s noble act falls apart fairly quickly when you learn of his brutal murders of the King’s Arm and the horrific dilemma to which he subjected Helmer. Moreover, it’s clear enough that he knows on some level that he’s in the wrong, given how easily Heather is able to provoke him. Gollum was, if possible, worse, as he became a degenerate being, pitiful and horrible to look upon. Murder became commonplace for him, and he became a cannibal to boot.

Consumed with malice, both Garten and Gollum commit further wicked deeds in pursuit of their twisted goals. And yet, time and again their actions turn to the ruin of what they seek to achieve. In spite of themselves, they help to bring to pass great deeds in service to the ultimate Good. Without Garten, the rabbits of Akolan would never have risen up, and Smalls would have died in the dragon tomb. And without Gollum, Frodo and Sam might never have made it into Mordor, and the Ring might never have been destroyed.

Tragically, of course, neither character was a willing participant in the good that their actions helped bring about. And each, though offered several chances at redemption, rejected each and every one. In the end, both were destroyed when they chose to reject the mercy that had been extended to them. The only difference is that Garten willfully chose to end his own life rather than accept help from those he had betrayed. Gollum, meanwhile, achieved his one aim, only to perish with the treasure for which and with which he had wrought so much evil.