The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West and The Dyer's Hand by W.H. Auden

After I heard one of my favorite television writers, David Milch (Deadwood, Hill Street Blues) discuss how W.H. Auden's writings on West's novels influenced him in writing stories for Deadwood, I immediately read both Miss Lonelyhearts and The Day of the Locust, just so I could better understand what Auden was getting at with "the importance of wishes" in theses works. However, I'm still not sure if I'm comprehending Auden's points. Is he saying American culture offers too much false hope and empty promises? Also, would the theme of "celebrity worship" fit into this analysis? It seems like it does, based on Milch's talk of how he wrote the real life Wild Bill Hickock for the Deadwood series as a character being frequently harassed by people who hated him because he didn't meet their over-the-top expectations. The Day of the Locust, especially, seems to exemplify this.

Any insights would be welcome.