'In those days there was personality in it... there was respect, and comradeship, and gratitude in it.' What is the significance of this...

Given Willy's tendency to create a world that he can live
in rather than the one he finds himself in, I have often wondered if the world these
words describe ever really existed.  It is clear that Willy thinks it did, and this is,
perhaps, the only important thing.  All of us who have "dealt" with salesmen know that
personality is an important part of their pitch, but we also know that it's a pretty
cutthroat business, maybe one without the qualities of comradship and
gratitude.

So there are two possibilities for this quote. 
One may present a lost reality that actually was a part of Willy's life, one that he
never lets go of, even thought the world has long moved on.  The other is that it is
just another manifestion of the delusions that Willy has based his life
on.

Take your pick ....