Seriously though I imagine that Hobbits are like masters of the polite fiction. They clearly love to gossip and tell tales, but they also really love the idea of nothing actually disrupting their leisurely, quiet lives, so you figure when they decide that not talking about something is required to do that, nobody talks about it. They pick themselves a nice little delusion and by god they stick to it.
Like this other thought I had once was that thereās this Dwarf that used to come by and visit Bilbo, probably one of the many cousins and relations of Thorinās Company. And he kind of falls in love with the Shire and is like āThatās it, Iām retiring here.ā
A Dwarf. Living in the Shire.
People donāt emigrate to the Shire. Itās not done! Hobbits can move from one part of the Shire to another, but you donāt have something else entirely move to it from outside of it!
Except it would be abominably, beastly rude to actually tell him that. āNo, you canāt live hereā, what, are we animals? Beasts? Orcs? Plus, uh, heās kind of fucking rich. Like, really rich. Like he just plunked down a good three times what a hill is actually worth because he says it has āgood bonesā.
So everyone decides, for the sake of the peace, for the sake of their own mindsā¦
Hairiest Hobbit you ever saw. With a weirdly deep hole. Yeah people have been in that sucker and it just keeps. Going. Down. A weird distance down. Lot of stonework. But that there is Mr. Talbin Ironnails the Hobbit. Mm-hmm. Oh, the beardās just a bit of an eccentricity, donāt mind him.
Need some metalwork done? Why, you want olā Talbin! Best Hobbit youāve ever seen with a hammer and tongs. Dwarf? No, no, who ever heard of a Dwarf living in the Shire! Thatās just old Talbin! Bit on the tall side, but donāt be intimidated at all.
Oh dear, wolves you say? Well, letās go ask olā Talbin if he can take care of it. Once took a wolfās head clean off with what weāre very sure was a very fancy woodsmanās axe, what with the long metal haft and two heads. Must have a bit of Took in him, does olā Talbin. Explains why heās so odd, eh? Eh?
Beer? Drink you under the table, olā Talbin will! Why, some say he has the constitution of a Dwarf, ha ha ha! HEāS NOT THOUGH.