system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Hobbit/LOTR] How does the economy of Erebor work?

The dwarves of the Lonely Mountain seem to have some form of near-perfect communism. They all work for the greater good of their people, and as far as I could tell, most of the wealth and treasure either belongs to the King Under the Mountain, or the dwarves as a whole. Is there even a concept of personal wealth among the dwarves, or is everyone pretty much equal?
gpt
Oh no, not all men are equal. It's probably more accurate to see Erebor as a city state.

The people there work and get paid for their work. They pay taxes to the king, and the king spends those taxes on among other things, giant golden statues.