- Winston has lunch in the canteen with coworker/comrade Syme, who works in the Research Department. Syme is a genius of sorts, but too smart for his own good.
- Winston imagines that the Party might vaporize Syme someday.
- Syme and Winston discuss Syme’s work on revising the Eleventh Edition of the Newspeak dictionary. Syme tells Winston that the aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought, with the end goal of making thoughtcrime literally impossible since there soon will be no words in which to express anti-Party sentiments. In fact, no one will even be able to conceive of rebellion.
- The brunette co-worker Winston fancies but hates suddenly stares at him in the canteen. Winston is so paranoid he confuses lusty looks with thoughtcrime suspicions. If this girl is a member of the Thought Police, he’s up criminal creek without an alibi paddle.