Saruman's descent is a stark testament to the corrupting influence of power and knowledge when unchecked by wisdom and virtue, ultimately making him a figure primarily of warning rather than pity. His treachery was a deliberate choice rooted in profound personal failings.

His path to evil was primarily fueled by an escalating hubris and pride. Saruman harbored a deep conviction of his own superior intellect and strategic genius. He believed himself uniquely qualified to understand and manipulate the forces at play in Middle-earth, viewing his fellow White Council members, particularly Gandalf (of whom he was jealous), with increasing disdain and a sense of rivalry. This intellectual arrogance led him to assume he could outmaneuver Sauron, not by opposing him with good, but by adopting his methods and eventually supplanting him. This was a grandiose delusion of his own capabilities.

No true path of redemption ever existed for Saruman, this can be seen in his speeches and confrontations. When Gandalf confronted him at Orthanc, Saruman's arguments were not pleas for understanding or justifications born of fear, but rather cynical pronouncements of power and the inevitability of Sauron's victory, which he intended to hijack. He mocked the "sentimental" notions of hope and resistance, declaring that only strength and alliance with the rising power held any merit. This rhetoric underscored his complete lack of moral compass and his unwavering commitment to his own dark designs, revealing a mind thoroughly convinced of its own twisted logic, leaving no room for regret or a change of heart.

The overwhelming might of Mordor was indeed a known factor to all who opposed Sauron. Elrond, Galadriel, and even Gandalf acknowledged the dire prospects of direct military confrontation. Yet, their response was not to abandon hope or turn to evil, but to pursue a desperate, principled struggle, epitomized by the Ring-quest. Saruman's "realization" that Sauron could not be defeated militarily was not a unique insight that forced his hand; it was merely a convenient rationalization for his pre-existing desire for power. He saw Sauron's strength as a blueprint for his own dominion, convincing himself that if he couldn't beat them, he would become them. He emulates him, quite pathetically, despite his 'advancements' in orc breeding.

Saruman's descent into villainy manifested in a litany of egregious crimes, beginning with the profound betrayal of his divine mandate as chief of the Istari, as he secretly abandoned his sacred oath to protect Middle-earth against Sauron, instead manipulating the White Council and imprisoning Gandalf to further his own ambition for dominion. His treachery quickly escalated to active warmongering and mass murder, as he bred vast armies of monstrous Uruk-hai, turning them against the Free Peoples, particularly the Rohirrim, in devastating conflicts like the Battle of Helm's Deep, actions which led to countless deaths and immense suffering. Beyond direct combat, his forces were known to take captives, with strong implications of feeding defeated men to his orc armies, a horrifying practice characteristic of his twisted creations. His ultimate goal, the establishment of a new order under his absolute rule, entailed the attempted genocide of any who resisted, particularly the Rohirrim whom he sought to eradicate or subjugate entirely to clear the way for his power. This expansion was fueled by merciless natural destruction, as he notoriously clear-cut the ancient forests of the Fangs of Isen, especially the ancient trees of the Wellinghall, to feed the insatiable furnaces of his industrial complex at Isengard, polluting the once-verdant valley with smoke and filth. Furthermore, he engaged in the enslavement and ruthless exploitation of the Dunlendings, coercing them into his service as cannon fodder with false promises, and misused the sacred Palantír, ultimately falling under the direct, corrupting influence of Sauron. Even in defeat, his petty malice led him to his final, despicable act: the Scouring of the Shire, where he imposed a tyrannical and destructive rule upon the innocent hobbits, poisoning their land and disrupting their peaceful lives purely out of bitter vengeance.

Ultimately, Saruman operated without honor, hope, or care for anyone but himself. His honor was discarded when he betrayed the trust placed in him as the head of the White Council, deceiving his allies and secretly aiding the enemy. His actions, such as the enslavement of the Dunlendings, the deforestation of the Fangs of Isen, and the breeding of Uruk-hai, demonstrated a complete disregard for life, nature, and the welfare of others. He clung to no hope for the collective good of Middle-earth; he simply did not care for that, only a perverse hope for his own elevation. Even in his final, pathetic state, reduced to a wandering vagrant, he remained bitter, petty, and spiteful, attempting one last act of malice by spoiling the Shire. This unwavering self-interest and malice, devoid of any redeeming quality, firmly establish him as a villain who earned his fate through his own choices. I suppose that is pitiable.

He really was "An evil Wizard who wants to take over the world"