On Recognition

If you think Aragorn kneels before hobbits because The Ring is destroyed, you are completely missing the point. It is a gesture in recognition of their morals, regardless of what has transpired. There was a certain expectation of how they would act. Humans, elves, dwarves, even other halflings expected them to cower in fear at the first sign of trouble. They were supposed to crawl in a hole and hide. But these hobbits discovered their virtuous selves through the hardships they faced. And this calls for acknowledgement.