".
"Works pretty slow don't he?" .
"No he doesn't,' said Tom coldly. 'And if you feel that way about it maybe I'd better sell it somewhere else after all." .
"I don't mean that," explained Wilson quickly. "I just meant----" His voice faded off and Tom glanced impatiently around the room. (29).
Not only is Tom disrespecting George by threatening him, he is also in an affair with his wife Myrtle Wilson, whom he tells to accompany him to New York while Wilson steps out for a moment. Not only does the valley of ashes show the separation of the classes socially, it also physically separates the poor from the rich. The poor live in a literal representation of their social status. The valley of ashes is dirty, dark, and lifeless, just like the occupants. Fitzgerald portrays the valley of ashes as a figurative prison for the poor and an obstacle for the rich. Whereas all the other settings of the story take place in glamorous, wealthy, and extravagant areas, the valley of ashes is the complete opposite. Tom comments on the state of the valley of ashes in this quote: ".
" 'Terrible place isn't it,' said Tom, exchanging a frown with Doctor Eckleburg.
'Awful' " (30). The valley of ashes is an area of poverty that is impossible to miss, a distinguishable separation of the classes. .
This one symbol, the valley of ashes, reveals many important traits about the main characters in the novel. Firstly, the reader learns through Nick's first visit to the valley of ashes with Tom that he has a poor conception of right and wrong, he does not have any regard for the well being of his cousin Daisy. The reader comes upon this knowledge when Nick meets Tom's mistress, Myrtle Wilson, at George Wilson's garage in the valley of ashes. Tom bluntly tells Nick that he is having an affair with this woman, cheating on his wife who is also Nick's cousin, but Nick does not mention feeling uncomfortable about it, he does not even give any indication that he believes it to be wrong.