" There was dancing now on the canvas in the garden, old men pushing young girls backward in eternal graceless circles, superior couples holding each other tortuously, fashionable and keeping in the corners-and a great number of single girls dancing individualistically or relieving the orchestra for a moment of the burden of the banjo or the traps. By midnight the hilarity has increased....A pair of stage "twins" -who turned out to be the girls in yellow did a baby act on costume and champagne was served in glasses bigger than finger bowls...I was enjoying myself now. I had taken two finger bowls of champagne and the scene has changed before my eyes into something significant, elemental and profound".
Here one can clearly observe the dial on Nick's moral compass slowly but surely turning as he becomes engrossed and integrated into this lavishly atrocious world. Although Nick does not realize it, he is in fact judging every single person mentioned above. The men are described as "old" and the girls, "young." This would be innocent enough if the two were not in fact dancing together. By way of Nick's description one may understand that he feels uncomfortable with the strange pairing. Also, he describes the party as "the hilarity," its almost as if he is mocking the idea of this wild party and he is clearly not enjoying himself. He explains only after he had a hefty amount of alcohol, "I was enjoying myself now." Only after he succumbed to the wildly lavish party style did he begin to feel more comfortable. Therefor turning his moral compass and becoming more comfortable with other actions which are morally wrong. The lifestyles of East and West Egg are very much like a drug. The more Nick experiments with it and is exposed to it, the more validated it seems.
