Towards the end of the novel, the dragon, Smaug guarding the treasure is slain with much effort and sacrifice by the humans and elves. They band together to form a giant army and march towards the Lonely Mountain, where the dwarfs are going to recover the treasure that Smaug had left unguarded. The humans and elves attempt to reason with the dwarfs, who have barricaded themselves in the mountain in an attempt to keep all the treasure for themselves.
This shows the class differentiation between races of beings in Middle Earth, which is a major theme in the novel. The dwarfs see themselves as superior beings and do not want to share their wealth with any other race. This is similar to the class differentiation that can be seen in The Motorcycle Diaries between the native indigenous population and the European immigrants. Also, it is similar to the superiority that the Argentinians feel they have over the other South American countries. This shares similarities as well, although not as severe, as racial segregation that occurred in the United States during the Civil Rights period, which continues in present-day society.
Article on continual racial segregation in the U.S. http://www.flcourier.com/flnation/4671-thousands-march-against-return-of-racial-segregation-in-north-carolina
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