Bilbo is a strong character, as is Frodo: they are led by their morals and a sense that they are working towards a greater good: it is this perception and understanding of a greater good that makes Frodo risk his life; that makes Gandalf sacrifice himself. This, rather than giving them a burden; something they must to; protects them; it rises them above where they would be otherwise and gives them something to live for.
Likewise; if you want to rehabilitate drug-addicts; don't fight the physical addition in isolation: fight the social addition, which is far more pernicious: if people have nothing to be clean for, they will not be able to be. The best help you can give anyone is to give them something to fight for: something that makes them feel they are part of something which is bigger than themselves, and that with others as a group, they can achieve what they could not on their own.
Bilbo and Frodo are saved from being consumed by the ring because they have a much more powerful drug; they are able to fight to rid the world of an evil that has the power to harm those they care about. Smeagol started his bearership with a profound act of evil Bilbo began his by chance, and an act of mercy sparing the creature Smeagol had become. Bilbo used it much less than Gollum.
Gollum used it to catch food and hide from orcs, so he would be wearing it quite often. Bilbo would not need to wear it, he was an upstanding member of society who probably could feed himself well. On the other hand, Smeagol had been banished by the other hobbits, and had to fend for himself.
Additionally, Gollum is very old, it may be possible that he wasn't in such a bad state while a hundred years old. I would say that there are many valid points given, but one truly missing item is Light.
In particular, Gollum hid from the Light in all forms. When daylight became too strong after possessing the ring, he sulked around only at night. When the light of the stars became too strong, he then hid from all Light under the mountain. The stars were put into the sky by Varda Elbereth "In light is her power and joy" and she is even more feared by Melkor than Manwe, according to The Silmarillion. Light is then feared more so by Dark than anything else.
A hobbit, on the other hand, truly enjoys Light, in some ways even more so than the Elves or any other creature. You could say that they have a Lightness to their internal morality. He had possession of the ring for decades, whereas Gollum had it for hundreds of years. Frodo had the ring in his every-day-control for about a year and he became obsessive.
I believe this was accelerated due to the exposure to the ring wraiths and the proximity of Sauron. Bilbo voluntarily walked away from it after all. He was exposed to Light-based behavior and reciprocated in kind. This just goes to show that a little Light covers a lot of Dark! He wasn't even cursing the Sun when he temporarily became friendly.
Given enough time exposed to Light, Gollum may have eventually been a permanent convert. It would follow that anyone anyone exposed to the Dark is negatively affected by it, and anyone exposed to the Light is positively affected by it to a greater degree than Darkness.
A side - the ring didn't initially work on Tom Bombadil. He was so full of Light that the Darkness had no affect. In my opinion, he was a hobbit version of a Maiar. Even Tom would be corruptible given enough effort by Darkness. He could possibly be immune to Sauron, but not Melkor. We could further discuss Galadriel's temptation, but to cut this short, given the formula above, the higher the status in a society the more easily tempted for Darkness due to the individual's desire for power.
To relate to today's events - we would all be likely better served by plucking an individual off the street at random to become president than spending a billion dollars on a single campaign.
The higher the stature, the greater the corruption. Ultimate power leads to extreme corruption. Note - my first answer here I stumbled across this interesting question while viewing Stack Overflow and decided to compose what I have typically inferred in regards to this topic. Pure speculation here, but behind the scenes, so to speak, Sauron had slowly been regaining power, so perhaps there was less outside influence on Bilbo during the pre- LOTR time than on Frodo.
I'm tempted to suggest that, in addition to the time difference, Smeagol was living alone, isolated not only from his family but even from vaguely related species, while Bilbo had the emotional support of his entire village I would suggest that "addicted" is the wrong terminology here.
In the book, I believe it is described as the ring having a "hold" on the character. It speaks of the Ring seeking to return itself to Sauron, and that it is using the various ring bearers to do so. Gollum held the ring for significantly longer than Bilbo, and therefore its hold on him was more considerable.
It warped his personality from Smeagol to that of Gollum. He was possessed by such a desire to keep it secret that he hid himself in the cave and became the creature Gollum. Bilbo, in the years he possessed the ring, did not seem to wear it particularly often. At least this is implied in the books. And, notably, even when it was time to give up the ring, it seemed to work its way back to his hand or pocket numerous times. See above. In fact, the final time he puts the ring on, it is described as practically leaping onto his finger.
Thus the ring seems to have a mind of its own, and would be more of a possession than an addiction. One thing that people seem to be missing here is the condition of the ring bearer.
Many of the other answers are true and right! This changed him utterly. He lost the ring in the year Third Age But more telling IMHO is that he was well fed, comfortable, and most importantly, Sauron was not yet searching for the ring.
It is only when Gollum leaves the mountains and is caught does Sauron learn the One Ring had been found. As Sauron gained power he searched for the ring, it began trying to get back to him - thus Bilbo telling Gandalf "it has been growing on my mind lately". Frodo had received the ring in TA , and he was well fed and comfortable. The hobbits left the Shire in TA He only had large lapses of control of himself when in relative close proximity to the Dark Lord's power; i.
As Frodo was wounded on Weathertop and then began to get closer and closer to Mordor, the ring's power grew and its hold on Frodo did too. This was especially evident as they grew hungrier and had less energy: Frodo's will power was taken up more and more in resisting the ring. Finally being half-starved, in Mt. Doom in the middle of Mordor he succumbed. Gandalf gave him credit that he resisted the ring better than most. You can see how it affected both Boromir and Denethor and neither ever touched it.
Galadriel herself was tempted when the company was in Lothlorien. Smeagol withdrew from society and spent around years in a cave with only the Ring for company -- far longer than his normal lifespan.
As a result, his body changed: He skin became pale, his body gaunt, and his eyes became bigger to help him see better in the dark. After all that time in a cave, alone, living off of scraps, he became even more eccentric; and couldn't stand sunlight or "normal" food. Gollum was the product of spending so much time in the presence of something dark and corrupting. Bilbo, on the other hand, still lived in the Shire he didn't need to run away, like Smeagol did and only spent 60 years with in the company of the Ring.
Despite this, the Ring was growing in power while he held it, and even though it didn't have time to corrupt his body and mind as completely as Smeagol's, it did take its toll on him. The ring prolonged his life way beyond its natural limitation and gradually began to twist his body and mind. He developed two personalities and loved and hated himself and ring equally.
He lost the ring in and spent the rest of his life trying to get it back. He searched every corner of Middle Earth he could which is the reason why he knew all those secret paths he took Frodo and Sam on in the Lord of the Rings. During this time he was captured twice. The unlikely company, guided by Gollum, made its way to the Black Gate of Mordor.
Along the way, it was revealed that Gollum, having lived in a cave for hundreds of years, feared both the Sun and the Moon , calling them the 'Yellow Face' and the 'White Face' respectively. The two had a strange sort of bond from both having been Ring-bearers; in Gollum, Frodo saw his possible future, and so wanted to save him so he could save himself. Apart from Gandalf and Bilbo, Frodo is the only person known to have shown kindness towards Gollum, who is hated instantly by everyone he meets, being perceived as filthy, slimy, sneaky and suspect by groups as different as the Orcs of Cirith Ungol and the Rangers of Ithilien.
When the Black Gate was reached and found to be well guarded, Gollum convinced them not to go that way, saying that they would be caught and Sauron would regain the Ring. Gollum said he would lead them south, where he knew of another entrance into Mordor, in which Frodo complied, despite Sam's suspicions.
Frodo and Sam were caught by Faramir , and Gollum followed them. When Frodo allowed Faramir to briefly take Gollum prisoner, however, he felt betrayed, allowing the "Gollum" personality to take total control.
Faramir found out that the place Gollum was taking them was called Cirith Ungol. He then warned Frodo and Sam of the evil of that place. Gollum visited the great spider Shelob , child of Ungoliant , because he was planning to betray the hobbits by turning them to Shelob for food and then take the Ring for himself.
The fact that Gollum managed to forge an alliance with Shelob is also remarkable, as she was otherwise known for devouring and killing everything on sight. When he returned the hobbits were asleep. The sight of Frodo sleeping nearly moved Gollum to repent, as he began to pet Frodo's hair.
However, Sam woke up and spoke harshly to Gollum and all hope of redemption was lost. Gollum followed through with his plan and led Frodo and Sam into Torech Ungol.
Just as Frodo warned him, Gollum's betrayal of his oath ultimately led to his undoing, for Frodo and Sam escaped from her lair and also Cirith Ungol. They came against all odds to the fiery volcano Mount Doom. Gollum followed them all the way, seeking a chance to surprise them and take the Ring. When Frodo and Sam had almost reached their destination, he attacked, but failed to get the Ring.
Sam, who had hated Gollum on sight, tried to bring himself to kill him, but he relented out of sheer pity and disgust, turning his back on the beaten but still wily creature. Moments later, Frodo was standing on the edge of the Crack of Doom , but, unable to destroy the Ring, claimed it for himself and put it on.
Then Gollum attacked the hobbits again. Gollum knocked out Sam with a rock whilst Frodo was invisible. But Gollum was able to track his footprints and jumped on Frodo. The two fought and finally Gollum bit off Frodo's finger with the ring on it. Here Bilbo's long-ago kindness in sparing Gollum's life was rewarded, for Gollum then teetered on the edge of the great pit, overjoyed with finally reclaiming his "precious", then lost his balance and fell in, taking the Ring and finger with him along with a final cry of " Precious!
Once Gollum discovers news regarding Bilbo's home country, he begins to travel back west in search of "Baggins" in the "Shire. More than likely, the lure of Sauron , the Ring's maker, begins calling him even more than the Ring itself, and eventually, he's captured and brought to Sauron's Dark Tower to be interrogated. There, he spills the beans, revealing to the Dark Lord that the One Ring has been found. He also informs him that it currently resides in a place called "Shire" and is owned by a creature named "Baggins.
After being held as a prisoner in Mordor for who knows how long, Gollum finally escapes his captivity although it's later assumed that he was allowed to do so. By this point, he's been thoroughly cowed by Sauron and fears him more than anyone else in the world — a fear that he can't entirely shake even as he leaves the Black Land in the rearview mirror. While he does get to breathe the free air outside of Mordor for a little bit, Gollum's freedom is only short-lived.
By this time, Aragorn has been hunting Gollum as a favor for his friend Gandalf for quite a while, and he'd actually given up the search and was heading back home when he accidentally stumbled on the slimy creature's trail. He manages to capture his prey — although only after Gollum bites him in self-defense — and then Aragorn roughly leads the miserable wretch back to Mirkwood. The Ranger of the North stays awake day and night to watch his captive, and he even has to resort to using a halter and a gag to make sure he doesn't lose his treacherous captive.
He deprives Gollum of food and water until the creature is broken by hunger and thirst. Not surprisingly, after this point, Aragorn remains one of Gollum's most hated enemies. When Frodo brings up the Ranger during a conversation in The Two Towers , it says that "an evil light came into [Gollum's] eyes at the naming of Aragorn.
It's fairly obvious to most Middle-earth residents that jail time and endless interrogations are infinitely worse if they're taking place in Mordor. However, Gollum hardly sees his new captivity in the elven halls of Mirkwood as much of an improvement. To add insult to injury, Gandalf eventually shows up on the scene and begins to grill Gollum with his own set of questions. The wizard desperately wants to know what Gollum has been up to.
He also uses the opportunity to attempt to confirm some of his own suspicions regarding the One Ring. While Gollum remains fairly reticent throughout the interrogation process, he breaks when Gandalf threatens him with fire. Insulted and scared, he finally begins to share some of his activities. However, when Gandalf pushes him to explain what he's been up to ever since his riddle-game with Bilbo, the interrogation hits a wall.
Gollum, feeling torn between the immediate fiery fear before him and the much bigger fear of distant Sauron, flat-out refuses to share any more information. After this second round of interrogations by Gandalf, Gollum finds himself back in long-term captivity. However, his elvish guards take pity on the poor soul, partly thanks to a suggestion by Gandalf himself that Gollum still might be cured of his evil ways. So they allow him to spend time outdoors under a watchful guard.
During this time, he becomes a master tree climber, learning to grab and swing from the branches with both his hands and his feet. He also finds a large, isolated tree that he particularly loves to climb. One day, Gollum clambers up into this tree and then refuses to come down.
Rather than climb up and try to dislodge the master arboreal acrobat, the guards remain at the foot of the tree and wait.
Then, completely out of the blue as far as they can tell , a group of orcs shows up out of nowhere and attacks the guards, freeing Gollum in the process and leaving the surviving elves convinced that it was a planned jailbreak. It's thanks to these events that Legolas is sent to Rivendell to report on the escape of their prisoner. In fact, his presence at the Council of Elrond and his further involvement in the Fellowship of the Ring would've been very unlikely if he hadn't already been there reporting about Gollum's escape in the first place.
So, yeah, thanks for that, Gollum.
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