1984
1984 ââYes,â I says to âer, âthatâs all very well,â I says. âBut if youâd of been in my place youâd of done the same as what I done. Itâs easy to criticize,â I says, âbut you ainât got the same problems as what I got.ââ
âAh,â said the other, âthatâs jest it. Thatâs jest where it is.â
The strident voices stopped abruptly. The women studied him in hostile silence as he went past. But it was not hostility, exactly; merely a kind of wariness, a momentary stiffening, as at the passing of some unfamiliar animal. The blue overalls of the Party could not be a common sight in a street like this. Indeed, it was unwise to be seen in such places, unless you had definite business there. The patrols might stop you if you happened to run into them. âMay I see your papers,comrade? What are you doing here? What time did you leave work? Is this your usual way home?â -and so on and so forth. Not that there was any rule against walking home by an unusual route: butit was enough to draw attention to you if the Thought Police heard about it.