In the Waldman letter, Tolkien says without the high and noble, the simple and vulgar is “utterly mean,” and without the simple, the noble and heroic is meaningless.
The epic needs both Aragorn and Sam. The king and the gardener belong to one story. The cosmic and the homely must meet.
The Noble and the Simple
The Great Story includes both apocalypse and breakfast, angels and potatoes, kingship and friendship.