George Wilson is at one with is environment, the Valley of the Ashes, a place quite different from Tom's brick estate on the water where Daisy and Jordan dare to wear white dresses without fear of getting them dirty. Here, in contrast, the landscape is bleak, filled with

ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.

George is described as

a blond, spiritless man, anaemic, and faintly handsome.

George is not quite ash-gray yet, but he is pale and abject. We learn what Tom means to him when "hope" springs into his eyes when he sees him. He hopes Tom can give him some of the business he keeps promising.

Tom, however, plays George for a sap. He has no intention of selling him a car, but he does need an excuse to keep stopping by the garage so he can plan trysts with Myrtle.

George has had the spirit ground out of him by not being able to get ahead financially and living in a miserable environment. Tom uses him and treats him with contempt. George puts up with it because he feels abased and because of his "damp," not fervent, hope that Tom's money can start making life better for his business.

While George tries to deal honestly with Tom, Tom is dishonest with George, because George is not fully human to him, but an object he can manipulate and bend to his own purposes, as when he convinces him that Gatsby is to blame for Myrtle's death.

Wilson allows Tom Buchanan to bully him. His poverty makes him lose all self-respect and bow to Tom's supercilious and patronizing attitude. He is clearly reliant on the arrogant Buchanan for small favors, as is so pertinently illustrated in the following extract:

“Hello, Wilson, old man,” said Tom, slapping him jovially on the shoulder. “How’s business?”

“I can’t complain,” answered Wilson unconvincingly. “When are you going to sell me that car?”

“Next week; I’ve got my man working on it now.”

“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—”

And later, in chapter 7, Tom is clearly bullying him:

“Let’s have some gas!” cried Tom roughly. “What do you think we stopped for—to admire the view?”

Wilson's quick apology in the extract indicates how desperate he is and how much he is prepared to sacrifice his own dignity to ensure that he does not lose whatever benefit (in material terms) Tom can provide. It is truly ironic that George does not realize that Tom is playing him for a fool in more ways than one. He is not only holding him on the line about selling his car but is also involved in an extramarital affair with his wife, Myrtle.

When Myrtle is accidentally killed by Daisy as she drives Jay Gatsby's car, it is Tom who later convinces George that Jay was the one she had been involved with. The distraught Wilson sees Tom as some kind of a savior in this instance, for he allows him to vent his grief and find closure by avenging his wife's death and killing the one, he believes, is his wife's murderer. 

George Wilson was clearly overwhelmed by his circumstances and constantly found himself in desperate situations. Tom's wealth offered him at least some hope. If Tom could help him, he could go West as he and Myrtle had discussed. It is ironic that he shares this information with the very man who would not want to see Myrtle leave: Tom Buchanan, her lover. Furthermore, Tom is also the man indirectly responsible for George's poor health because when he discovered that Myrtle "had some sort of life apart from him in another world," he became physically ill.

In the end, Tom remorselessly implicates Jay in Myrtle's death and is, therefore, directly responsible for his murder by George. Later, in chapter 9, he tells Nick about having spoken to George:

“What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s, but he was a tough one. He ran over Myrtle like you’d run over a dog and never even stopped his car.” 

Tom had found a way to rid himself of Jay and the embarrassment and complication of living with an unfaithful wife who, for all intents and purposes, might still have continued her illicit affair with Jay Gatsby if he had remained alive. 

During their interactions, George Wilson affords the wealthy Buchanan credibility because of his socio-economic position, believing Tom to be superior to him. Because he is deluded about his wife Myrtle, Wilson never suspects Tom of being her lover.

Much like Gatsby, George Wilson is a dreamer who unrealistically affords people virtues they do not possess. Certainly, he puts more faith in his wife than he should, and he cowers to Tom Buchanan. For instance, he asks Tom when he is going to sell him a car promised him, not realizing that Buchanan uses this promise merely as a pretense to come by and let his mistress, George's wife Myrtle, know that he is going to New York City so she can meet him.  

"Hello, Wilson, old man," said Tom.... "How's business?"
"I can't complain," answered Wilson unconvincingly. "When are you going to sell me that car?"
"Next week; I've got my man working on it now."
"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."

Clearly, George Wilson is a weak, submissive man who is defeated by his poverty and lack of success. He places hope in the wealthy Tom, believing that his association with Buchanan will somehow help him break from his life in the Valley of Ashes.