How is Gatsby's fate a social commentary about American values in The Great Gatsby?

I think that this is an interesting question because it
forces us to assess how Gatsby's condition is reflective of the American condition of
the time period.  One of Fitzgerald's accomplishments in The Great
Gatsby is to show the results of what happens when societies use people as
means to an end, as opposed to an end in their own right.  The fact that Gatsby is used
by the flapper social scene of the time period as a host of elaborate parties to fulfill
the need to generate a good time and presents little, if any, regard for his own
condition in life reflects the inherent destruction in that social order.  After seeing
how the Jordan Bakers or the Tom and Daisy Buchanans use Gatsby, one is not surprised
that the self-absorbed consumption that existed during the time ended up choking itself
with the Stock Market crash and the Great Depression.  It makes sense that this becomes
the result of this society.  At the same time, there is little in this social setting
that represents a solid foundation for the future, another Fitzgerald commentary about
the time period.  In the end, Nick leaves it, indicating that there is a sense of
hopelessness for social transformation regarding the shallow and narcissistic values of
this society.