Dwarves are the central companions in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
Bilbo Baggins joins a company of thirteen dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield. Their goal is to travel to the Lonely Mountain and reclaim the treasure and kingdom taken by the dragon Smaug. Gandalf the Grey accompanies and assists the expedition at important stages.
The company includes well-known characters such as Balin, Dwalin, Fili, Kili, and Bombur. Their journey crosses the Shire, the Trollshaws, Rivendell, Mirkwood, and the lands surrounding the Lonely Mountain.
The dwarves are not interchangeable in the story: Tolkien gives several individual personalities and relationships within the group. Thorin’s growing obsession with the treasure, especially the Arkenstone, becomes a major part of the novel’s final conflict.