In The Great Gatsby, a lot of people focus on Gatsby and blame him for the drama. But if you really look at what happens, Tom Buchanan is the one who causes the most damage. He lies, cheats, and hurts people without ever facing any real consequences. He acts like he is above everyone else, and in the end, he gets to walk away with his life unchanged.
From the start, Tom is shown as a selfish and controlling person. He cheats on Daisy with Myrtle Wilson and does not even try to hide it. He treats Myrtle badly too, even hitting her at one point. Tom uses people when it is good for him and drops them when he is done. He talks about “family values” and keeping things traditional, but he does not live by those rules himself.
He also plays a huge part in Gatsby’s death. After Myrtle is killed, Tom tells George Wilson that Gatsby owns the car that hit her. He does not mention that Daisy was the one driving. Tom lets Gatsby take the blame without any guilt. Because of that, George kills Gatsby, thinking he was the one who hurt Myrtle.
Tom and Daisy leave town right after that, like nothing happened. They do not go to the funeral. They do not say sorry. They just run from the mess they helped create. In the end, Tom is the real villain because he causes so much pain and never has to answer for it. He ruins lives and still gets to keep his.
