Sacrifice
Throughout the film, we see George sacrifice his dreams for the good of his family and the community in which he lives. It begins with him staying behind to run his father's business and sacrificing his dreams of attending college and traveling the world. Then, George can't even get away for a honeymoon with Mary, because the town is mobbing the Building and Loan for their money after the bank crashes. We see George continually sacrifice his hopes of leaving Bedford Falls in order to do what he believes is the right thing.
His sacrifice eventually takes an emotional toll after his uncle Billy loses the Building and Loan company's money accidentally; George goes to the evil Mr. Potter and tells him that he lost the money, sacrificing his own life in order to save Billy's skin. He then realizes that he is "worth more dead than alive," when he realizes that his life insurance policy would earn his family more than he can earn for them while he is living. George is consistently looking for ways to make sacrifices in order to help others.
Building a Community
Mr. Potter is out to take over Bedford Falls and consolidate all the power he can. George takes the opposite approach, sacrificing whenever possible in order to build a more ideal community for everyone. He believes in the people of Bedford Falls, in their dreams and their hopes of building a better future for themselves and their families. Thus, a major motivating factor in George's life is building a community in which mutual support can thrive and in which people take care of one another.
The reason George is willing to sacrifice so much is because he realizes that by doing so, he is creating a better community, one in which everyone gets more and no man inches too far ahead. His communal fantasy is one in which everyone has an opportunity to grow and thrive in society, and he achieves his intentions to make this community a reality.
Faith
Having faith, and the lack of faith, are two major themes in George Bailey's journey. George is filled with loads of faith for his future at the start of the film. He believes his life is made for extraordinary feats and huge ambitions. His faith is tested time and time again by adversity, but he is able to be resilient and maintain his plucky sense of what is possible. He continually believes that by doing the right thing, he will still be able to achieve his dreams.
However, when circumstances become dire, George loses faith in life and begins to fear that everything has turned out for the worst. In this moment, he has a crisis of meaning and considers throwing away his life and all he has built. Through the help of Clarence, his guardian angel, George regains his faith and is given a miracle from the people he believed in to save him from financial ruin. The film suggests that through good faith and a belief in what's possible, any man can pull himself out of adversity.
Kindness
George is defined not only by his self-sacrifice and his belief in human goodness, but by his kindness and compassion. Part of what allows George to make such giant sacrifices when they are called for is the fact that he is compassionate and wants to give to people. While he could have thrown away his father's company to attend college, George chooses instead to stand up for the little men in the town and confront Potter. It is kindness that leads him to this decision. Then, when his and Mary's honeymoon is interrupted by the Great Depression, they choose to give away their savings to help the people of the town get by. Both Mary and George exhibit immense amounts of kindness and goodwill towards their fellow Bedford Falls residents, and it is this spirit of kindness that encourages the citizens of the town to give back to them when they are in dire straits.
Everyone is Important
George believes that every man is important, and this is the cornerstone of his philosophy as a leader. Rather than suggesting that only those who earn their seat at the table are deserving of the goods of the world, George recognizes that, in a corrupt society, those who are less fortunate need an extra boost. This is what gives him a sense of purpose at the Building and Loan company, and what motivates him to open the housing development for low-income families. He helps deliver low-income families from the hiked-up prices of the Potter slums to give opportunities to those who might not otherwise have them. In George's view of the world, no man is insignificant and everyone has a right to the opportunity to enjoy their life. He could easily fire or dismiss his uncle Billy on the grounds of his absentmindedness and incompetence, but he sees Billy as an important part of the Bailey Building and Loan company. George sees the good in the common man, and it is this belief system that makes him such a dynamic and beloved pillar of the community.
Dreaming
George is also defined by his tendency to dream. At the beginning of his life, he has big plans to see the world and be an adventurer. When he is courting Mary, he tells her all about his big plans and tells her that he will lasso the moon for her, imagining a whole elaborate image of transcendence and mastery of nature. Later, we see that George's daughter, Zuzu, has inherited his desire to dream, taking an especial interest in a flower that she gets at school. As she sits in bed sick with a cold, George tells Zuzu that she should sleep, and while she sleeps she will dream not only of a flower, but of a whole garden.
Small-town America
The film is very much about the dignity of small-town America. In spite of his initial wishes, George Bailey cannot seem to find a way to leave Bedford Falls. As long as he is staying, he makes a point of improving his community and protecting it from mercenary and corporate interests. Thus, he ends up embodying the heart of small-town ethics and sensible American values. The film takes place in a town where people look out for their neighbors and fight for the common good, and George Bailey is hugely influential in making sure this is so.
