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In the book, the Elvenking was untrusting of the Dwarves. He comes off as more than slightly bigoted, xenophobic and paranoid. The Dwarves weren't doing anything wrong...
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The Dwarves weren't doing anything wrong.
In a peace time modern world view maybe. But look at from a 1935 point of view. The Dwarves are a patrol size group of possibly hostile aliens caught trespassing deep in your territory. They refuse to give a reasonable explanation of their mission. It would then be reasonable that they were enemy agents or spies. Of course they were locked up.
slightly bigoted- against ancient enemies
xenophobic- against the possibility of Invasion
paranoid- well just because you are paranoid does not mean some one is not out to get you
The author was a WW I veteran. WWII was well under way when he was writing this and nationalism was PC. Un- like now.
I think we are supposed to under stand that the elves were in the right.