George courts the acquaintance of the nobility, as all true inhabitants of Vanity Fair, but he does not tell tales on ladies. Self-centered and selfish, he takes Amelia's love and loyalty as his due, and under Dobbin's pressure marries her. When disinherited, he blames Dobbin and says he has lost his money over stupid sentiment. But when his sisters talk against Amelia, he comes to her defense in spite of their glares and his father's anger.
Infatuated with Becky, George asks her to run away with him, but the Battle of Waterloo intervenes. When George realizes he is going into battle and may never see Amelia again, he is overcome with remorse and charges William Dobbin to care for her. As an excuse for George's irresponsibility Thackeray points out that old Osborne's attitude has been lenient toward all sorts of the wildness that George displays. Old Osborne objects only to gambling, and George gambles on the sly.
While Amelia considers George's death the greatest tragedy that could befall her, the reader realizes that, had he lived, her life would have been more sad. At times George rises to heroic proportions, as when he stands up for Amelia against his family. His inconsistency of character: The willingness to defy others in his beloved's behalf and also his willingness to betray her, mark his citizenship in Vanity Fair.
