Faramir's Choices

In this section of Tolkien's The Two Towers, Faramir's choices were based on the fact that he was wiser than his years portrayed. He studied with Gandalf and that part of his tale he told to Frodo and Sam towards the beginning of Chapter 5, The Window on the West. Faramir explains to Frodo that he learned ancient lore and how to read them from teachings of the Grey Pilgrim. The Grey Pilgrim turns out to be Gandalf who studied the secrets of Gondor's treasury with leave from Denethor, and that is where Faramir learned a little from him, when he was willing to teach (which was seldom). Faramir being interested in ancient lore as well made it so he spent a little time with Gandalf and probably perceived how wise and knowledgable he was and perhaps learning from him gave him the patience to understand things more clearly and to ask questions. Learning from someone like Gandalf was special and no doubt would make anyone a wiser man. So his actions towards Frodo and Sam and letting them go wasn't really a betrayal towards Gondor but the right thing to do under the circumstances and a very wise decision. I think Tolkien probably had Faramir make the choices he made to show the contrasting characteristics of the personalities of the brothers Faramir and Boromir and how they relate and fit into his epic mythology. Frodo encountered both brothers and even said he sensed that Faramir was far wiser than his brother and seemed to be trustworthy.