Quote Originally Posted by Tvtyrant View Post
Morality works differently in LotR then in modern conception. It is corruptive, so committing small acts of evil lead the doer into larger and larger acts. It is why small time crooks and bandits so easily fall into full throated supporters of universal enslavement in setting, because the tipping point came when they chose to steal a piggy bank 20 years ago and everything naturally progressed from there.
In the Silmarillion. and Unfinished Tales, small-time bandits actually can become slightly better people over time:

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when they're being influenced by Turin Turambar.

Unfortunately, him being a Doom Magnet, means that them getting a bit better doesn't lead to a happy ending for them.