In The Great Gatsby, I see old money as traditional people, who don't like change- almost like royalty. They think of themselves better than everyone else and those that want to climb up to the top (new money) are mostly viewed as insignificant and of a lesser being. This can be seen through the divide of the East and West Egg. The East Egg is the Old Money, and they think of themselves as high and mighty, though they like to gossip alot. They seem to have a lot more free time as their family has already given them lots of money. However, the West Egg is somewhat different.
The West Egg or new money, are those that have recently gotten rich. They are most likely seen in East Egg's eyes as competitors that want to take their status. They seem to be a bit more modest, but they too enjoy lots of free time. (As seen by Gatsby's parties) New money people seem to work a bit harder than old money, as they want to raise up their status. This can be seen by Nick being a bond man. However, both the West and East Egg still enjoy quite extravagant lives while everybody else suffers the most.
If you're not part of the West or the East Egg, then you're probably living in the Valley of Ashes. As it was described in the book, it basically is a dirty and nasty place full of smoke and poor people. Wilson, who was Myrtle's husband, works in a garage, but he doesn't get much business. While everyone else is having fun, those in the Valley of Ashes have to work extra hard to get some money to survive. That place is basically dead. To describe The Great Gatsby in the simplest way, you're either really rich, pretty rich, or really poor.
