When looking at The Hobbit with the knowledge that Tolkien was a veteran and his service greatly impacted his writing, the fact that Bilbo returns home at the end to find his house ransacked and his relatives pretending not to recognize him, takes on a whole new meaning. Bilbo came back after a very traumatic experiences to a place that was supposed to be his home, that was supposed to have all his comforts that he missed and thought about the entire time, only to find that people had completely ruined his safe space. His family and community quickly decided he was either dead or not worth waiting on, and not only has his house been destroyed and robbed, his family pretends to not even know who he is at first. Bilbo comes back from war to find his safe space completely destroyed, his community having completely written him off and labeled him as beyond help, and his family pretends like he's so changed they can't recognize him. It is SO important to keep in mind the entire story that Tolkien is a veteran because it makes have so much more meaning.
