Rumors abound about how Gatsby made his fortune, and Gatsby himself is not especially forthcoming about the source of his wealth. In chapter five, he tells Nick he was "in the drug business" and "in the oil business," but also claims he inherited wealth before losing most of it in "the panic of the war." Speculation is rampant that he is a bootlegger of alcohol, and when confronted by Tom Buchanan in chapter seven, he doesn't deny selling grain alcohol in his Chicago drug-stores or his association with the gangster Meyer Wolfsheim. Tom also implies that Gatsby has profited from illegal gambling. In chapter nine, Meyer Wolfsheim regales Nick with the story of how Gatsby came to work for him after arriving penniless from the war. While tying up loose ends for Gatsby after his death, Nick intercepts a phone call that reports an associate of Gatsby's has been arrested for dealing in stolen bonds.
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