In society the people in the "higher" class always try to find ways in which they can separate themselves from the groups they deem to be in a lower class then they are. They go to great lengths to act more civilized and to show, at least in their public lives, that they have a much better all around character than those people in the lower classes. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald we are shown that there is a place where all social classes are much more similar than they are different. We become aware very early on that when thrown into a "party" environment the snobby and reserved people of the East egg, the West eggers, who represent the new generation of wealth, and even the middle and some people of the lower class all act in very similar ways when placed in a free flowing setting.
When we are first introduced to the East egg we are lead to believe that it is extremely well mannered and represents all that is good as far as old-fashioned values. We quickly come to realize that this is far from the complete truth. Gossip runs rampant in the house of the Buchanan's and no one is safe from becoming a target. Even the host, Tom, is the victim of endless gossip regarding his affair. This is shown when Miss Baker says "Why" she said hesitantly, "Tom's got some woman in New York". "Got some woman?" I repeated blankly. Miss baker nodded. We also see that although the inhabitants of this East egg home portray themselves as happy it is clear when Nick has a discussion with Daisy that this is anything but true. Daisy admits to how her husband Tom was never even present when their child was born.
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Nick goes to New York with Tom where they have another small gathering with Tom's mistress. This gathering is even more filled with gossip and more chaotic than the one that took place at the Buchanan residence. The biggest difference between the two is the fact that this gathering was filled with smoke and alcohol two things that fueled the chaos throughout the party.