[Restorer]

True. However, my point is that they were all (except Sam) Very Important Hobbits. And I'm not sure that point comes across easily to American readers, who don't have the inbred understanding of the class system that Tolkien's Brit readers would have had in the 50's.

[Vast Buffalo Wing Conspiracy]

True enough. It's a class system, which we Americans pretend not to have, but it's a traditional class system, without any form of state mechanisms to reinforce it. Saying that Merry and Pippin are very important hobbits is also true enough, but it's like saying they are "very important tobacco smokers". No one but other hobbits or other tobacco smokers would care one way or another. Now, saying that Aragorn is a very important human has a different order of meaning, in that his importance effects everyone whether they want it to or not, whereas Merry and Pippin's importance outside of the Shire is accidental.