Old Money vs New

East Egg represents old money — inherited wealth with generations of social polish. West Egg represents new money — Gatsby's flashy mansion screaming for attention. Between them, the Valley of Ashes holds the working class that both groups pretend does not exist.

Tom Buchanan is racist, unfaithful, and insulated by inherited wealth from every consequence. Old money does not merely exclude newcomers from its circles — it destroys them when they get too close, then retreats behind its privileges without a backward glance.