Seconds later Nick ejects the duo. Obviously, George Bailey's ceasing to exist wrecks many lives. The Potternomics theory. Perhaps Nick has had to toughen up, just to survive. In Pottersville, a town where just one man rules with an iron fist, a discontented, lazy rabble falls prey to unemployment, prostitution and crime.
Downtown is a maelstrom of poolhalls, pawn brokers and seedy clubs.
This may explain why his roadhouse has become a smoke-filled den of iniquity, bursting with demented piano music. Nature vs. nurture. Well, Pottersville has certainly compromised others who earlier epitomized virtue and kindness. Look at George Bailey's mother, now a bitter woman running a flophouse. His saintly wife is now a mousy librarian.