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If you’re looking for a book with a cast of characters you can root for, don’t pick up 1984. That’s because main character Winston’s acquaintances in 1984 are anything but saintly. Check out the betrayal and backstabbing for yourself by watching this Recap.

Video Transcription:

1984 is about isolation. It’s about paranoia—about not knowing if there’s anyone you can trust.

The good news is, the paranoia and isolation keep the cast list short—and the characters easy to remember.

This book is about isolation and paranoia, but it’s also 100% about Winston Smith. Which is another reason there aren’t a lot of additional cast members. A large portion of the story takes place inside Winston’s head as he tries to sort out his feelings toward the Party and toward himself.

Winston is a fatalist. Which basically means that even though he wants to rebel, he wants to believe that things will change, he’s also basically certain that he’s doomed.

All the other significant characters in this story are relevant basically because of the fact that they turn on Winston (reinforcing his fatalism, isolation, and paranoia, of course).

There’s Julia, the girl with whom Winston has a love affair. During a moment of torture, she betrays Winston … and after that finds him loathsome.

O’Brien is a Party member whom Winston initially thinks is a fellow rebel. Of course, he’s not. O’Brien turns out to be Winston’s torturer—and “reprogrammer.”

Finally, Mr. Charrington is the owner of an antique store—a man who seems, at first, like a symbol of hope. But in one of the story’s most chilling moments, he turns out to be not an ally, but a member of the Thought Police.