George Wilson is honest and hard working, somewhat naive and easily intimidated and manipulated by Tom Buchanan. George defers to Tom out of necessity (He needs Tom's business), but he also defers to Tom because he feels very much Tom's social inferior. This is a relationship that Buchanan continues to emphasize, of course, showing contempt for Wilson while carrying on an affair with the man's wife. Wilson is weak and ineffectual, but once he discovers Myrtle's infidelity, his moral core is revealed:
I [George] told her she might fool me but she couldn't fool God . . . . 'God knows what you've been doing, everything you've been doing. You may fool me but you can't fool god!"
He reacts strongly, intending to take Myrtle away and preserve his marriage. After her death, George cannot rest until he avenges Myrtle's death; once that has been accomplished, he kills himself, as well. For a man who was never assertive in any way, George Wilson proves to be a stronger personality than anyone expected.
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