If you are programming in Visual Basic, you can use the CBool function to convert the string representation of a number to a Boolean value. 0 is converted to false, and the string representation of any non-zero value is converted to true.
Nick is trying to figure out who Gatsby really is. Nick hears these rumors about gatsby, how he was a German spy, a murderer, etc.. Nick is disappointed with Gatsby because Gatsby has little too say. Nick wants Gatsby to tell him who he really is, what he does, where is he from. Unsurprisingly, Gatsby does not tell him, even though they talk a lot and hang out a lot. Nick is trying to figure out who Gatsby really is.
At one point Daisy asks what they should do with the rest of the day and the next thirty years of their lives. She cries out that she wants them all to go to the city. Daisy and Gatsby lock eyes, and Daisy comments that Gatsby always looks like an advertisement. Tom can see in Daisy's eyes that Daisy and Gatsby are in love. He suddenly agrees that they should all go to the city.