I've always been very pro-Lucas, but the man was certainly not without his faults. I think it all boils down to the fact that he was a very introverted person...an editor and VFX pioneer at heart who disliked directing, was not emotionally prepared for being the figurehead of the cultural phenomenon he created, which ended up taking a big toll on his personal life, his marriage, etc.
That he was vilified as if he was actually a terrible person though was WAY over the top, and the people who did it are exactly like the manchildren of today (who ironically now praise George and shift their scorn to Kathleen Kennedy/Rian Johnson/JJ Abrams). This is a guy who took a huge step back from the most successful Hollywood careers of all time to be a single father to his kids. He didn't deserve the level of vitriol that was directed at him, even if he was spiteful and wrong about the special editions and not making the original version available.
You can't blame the guy at all for wanting to depart from such a toxic atmosphere.