When reading Sir Gawain and the Green knight, I of course noticed the general theme of hospitality that can be found in pretty much every traditional heroes' journey story. This if course very necessary to this stories (and Tolkien's as well) because it allows for the protagonist to have shelter, regain their strength, and prepare for their battle ahead.
In The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings, we see this several times where either the company or the fellowship are offered a place to sleep and eat, and in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight when he is welcomed into the castle of the Lord and Lady. If it just ended at shelter and food, that would be fine, but it would dramatically change the knowledge and experience (either for better or worse) that can be gained from developing relationships with these people. In Tolkien's writing, the characters share stories and harsh experiences that build these relationships, which eventually lead to the ability to triumph over many obstacles which otherwise would be impossible. In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, kinship is also present, but definitely plays a different role.
It is the kinship that Gawain shares with King Arthur that gets him into the situation with the Green Knight in the first place. Then, when he stays at the castle, it is the trust he builds with the Lord (that he eventually betrays) that shapes the rest of the story, and forms the moral lesson that we take from his ordeal and punishment for betraying this trust. It's interesting to see all the different ways kinship can be used in a story, and why it is so important and widely used.
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