Mr. Potter does seem to get away with it, so to speak. I guess that had really never occurred to me before...
My personal opinion is that his punishment was being himself - and in losing his battle with George.
If anything, I would have said a scene where Mr. Potter observes - perhaps in his car from the street - the people streaming into George's house at the end. He sees that the "riff raff" as he called them are doing everything BUT riding George out of town on a rail.
Barrymore was a good enough actor to let the proper range of emotions cross his face - disbelief, anger, frustration and perhaps finally - just perhaps - a bit of grief at the sight of what he has never received and will never receive.
The whole scene could have shown what all of Mr. Potter's money would never buy for him and his bitter acknowledgment of that fact. The audience seeing the sadness of a life misspent.
That is the worst possible punishment for him I can think of...and that sparks my pity for the character -despite the fact that he brought on himself really - a poor old man and George and his friends so rich...
