How does the hotel scene enhance the conflict between classes in chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby?

At the Plaza Hotel, Gatsby and Tom Buchanan face off over Daisy. Tom does everything he can to press his class advantage over his rival. First, Tom, a Yale graduate, taunts Gatsby over allegedly being an "Oxford man," which Tom does not believe for a minute. When Gatsby explains that he was only there for five months as part of a World War I armistice opportunity that allowed some officers to study at Oxford, Nick's...

At the Plaza Hotel, Gatsby and Tom Buchanan face off over Daisy. Tom does everything he can to press his class advantage over his rival. First, Tom, a Yale graduate, taunts Gatsby over allegedly being an "Oxford man," which Tom does not believe for a minute. When Gatsby explains that he was only there for five months as part of a World War I armistice opportunity that allowed some officers to study at Oxford, Nick's faith in Gatsby is restored. But upper crust Tom keeps on relentlessly pushing the "class warfare" theme, saying that if Gatsby can make love to Daisy, the next thing will be "intermarriage between black and white." Finally, he says that someone like Gatsby should not be allowed "within a mile" of Daisy unless he is delivering groceries to the back door like a servant. We've known from the beginning that Tom is a snob, but here he openly uses his conviction that Gatsby is lower class to try to separate Daisy and Gatsby.