In the sci-fi dystopian novel 1984 (1949) by British author George Orwell, Orwell depicts a society controlled by a totalitarian regime that is plagued with war and poverty, and deprived of individuality. The story takes place in the country of Oceania. The main character, Winston Smith, lives in an apartment complex that is constantly under government surveillance. The Victory Mansions, contrary to what its name may suggest, is a dilapidated complex. The Victory Mansions serves as a symbol of the omnipresent power of the Oceania government and a physical manifestation of the doublethink doctrine.

Every apartment in the Victory Mansions contains a telescreen, a device that the Oceania government uses to watch over every move of its citizens in order to ensure that they remain in line with the partyʼs ideology. Winstonʼs room is no exception. During a mandatory morning exercise, Winston was called out over the telescreen for not properly performing one of the exercises. This demonstrates how the right to privacy is virtually non-existent. The government watches over even the smallest details. In every corner of the apartment complex is a poster of the party leader, Big Brother, along with the slogan “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.” Winston describes the figure as being alive with its eyes always staring. The personification of the poster deifies Big Brother, who is synonymous with the party and therefore the government, which further emphasizes the omnipotence of the government. Inside the Victory Mansions, no citizen is safe. The complex is akin to that of a prison, its inhabitants being constantly under government surveillance. It is one of the many factors that demonstrate the abuse of government power in the society of 1984.

A doctrine that deeply penetrates Oceaniaʼs society is doublethink, where people accept two contradictory pieces of information as equally true without question. The Victory Mansions itself is a product of doublethink. Itʼs a run-down complex that reeks of boiling cabbage. The sewage system is always broken and the electricity is unreliable. Furthermore, the Victory Mansions evoke the imagery of Soviet khrushchevkas, also called “commie blocks,” which are typically old and grim rectangular blocks of apartments. The bleak reality of the complex contrasted with its name creates a situational irony. A mansion called Victory, which connotates glory and pride, is in fact the exact opposite. Yet, the citizens donʼt think twice about their situation because their government has subjugated them to doublethink. They believe their country is the greatest on the planet and that production exceeds expectations every month, while at the same time believing itʼs perfectly reasonable that their lives are in shambles. Victory Mansion is a dichotomy that illustrates the total control the totalitarian government of Oceania has over its population. Objectively bad things can be good things if no one knows otherwise.