One of the most morally ambiguous characters of the entire Lord of the Rings series is Gollum. Fans can see that Smeagol wants to be a good person, and is genuinely torn between the control and desire of the ring, and wanting to help and befriend Frodo, one of the only people who has actually understood him and his plight in the last 500 years. However, Gollum, his famous alter ego is suspicious at the best of times, and violently murderous at the worst. Gollum is willing to do whatever it takes to get back the ring.
In some sense, Gollum literally kept Smeagol alive, because Gollum was formed as a coping mechanism to all of the traumas that Smeagol faced, including the allure of the ring making him murder his own cousin Deagol, being cast out and abandoned by his people, and living in the bowels of the earth for so long that he forgot the taste of bread and the feeling of sunshine on his face. Without Gollum, Smeagol almost certainly would have sooner, even with the unnaturally long life gifted by the ring.
Arguably one of Gollum's most tragic scenes in the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy adaptations is the scene in which he is caught fishing in the forbidden pool, and beaten by Faramir’s rangers. Gollum at this point is genuinely making an innocent mistake, he is hungry, so he is drawn to the nearest source of water so that he can fish. Unfortunately, this water is sacred, and the penalty for trespassing is death. Faramir must abide by these ancient laws, but warns Frodo in advance. At this point, Faramir is still trying to gauge his unexpected guests and see if they are friend or foe, and this is part of his test. Frodo, therefore, does the only thing that he can in order to save Gollum’s life: he tricks the poor creature into coming up from the waters, and straight into the path of Faramir’s rangers who capture him.
This scene in both the film and the book is really tragic, because up until this point, Smeagol really did seem to be getting better, escaping the clutches of the ring, and remembering how to trust, how to love, and how to enjoy a life that isn’t marred by the past, and the obsession with the dark ring. However, as soon as the mishap with Faramir occurs, he immediately slips back into his coping mechanism and Gollum comes out in full swing. As a result of his trust being broken, Smeagol goes back to protecting himself the only way he knows how: by striking first before others can strike him. Many fans during this scene feel that Faramir played a fundamental part in sealing Frodo and Sam's fate in Shelob’s lair, and in their many fights with Gollum on the edges of Mount Doom as they are trying to destroy the ring.
Although he certainly didn’t help the matter, it is important to note that the fault doesn’t lie with Faramir, but instead with Gollum. Gollum had already set Frodo and Sam on their dangerous path, he was already planning to take them to Cirith Ungol at this point, and was already planning to let the giant spider demon dispose of the two hobbits so that he could reclaim his precious. In fact, Faramir does everything he can to try to warn Frodo and to try to prevent him from taking the dangerous path that Gollum suggests. In the books Faramir tells Frodo “He will lead you to no good.” Of Cirith Ungol, Faramir warns “There is some dark terror that dwells in the passes above Minas Morgul. If Cirith Ungol is named, is named, old men and masters of lore will blanche and fall silent” and that “I would not have you go to death or to torment.”
Even to Gollum, whom Faramir knows has some sort of evil in his heart, Faramir offers safety and kindness, despite their rough treatment of the poor creature. Faramir pledges to Frodo “If you will part with him, I will give him safe conduct and guidance to any point on the boarders of Gondor that he may name.” Of course, Frodo know that their way lies together, and that his only hope of reaching Mount Doom to destroy the ring is to follow the path that Gollum has already set them on, no matter what dangers this may encompass.
So although it isn’t Faramir’s fault that Gollum betrays Frodo, it can be argued that Faramir only helps in the overall scheme of things, because in antagonizing Smeagol and reawakening Gollum, he ensures that Gollum will in fact try to snatch the ring on the edges of Mount Doom, where he topples on the edge, falls, and takes the ring with him, therefore completing the quest for the good of all. As does Samwise Gamgee, who never trusts Gollum, and thus perpetuates Gollum's sneaking around. Each character has an almost pre-determined part to play in the War of the Ring, and Faramir plays his nobly and honestly.