Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Subjective, Matter-of-Fact
We see everything from D-503's perspective, and his feelings and beliefs color every aspect of the narrative. He is endeavoring to present things as clearly as he can, but we're very aware of his own perception filtering it all, especially as the novel goes on and he loses his detachment to plunge head-first into emotional chaos. The tone thus works to give us a very good sense of the narrator, as well as providing ironic juxtaposition between what he thinks is a good thing and what we think is a good thing:
When the work of the Operation Department was only beginning, there were yet to be found some fools who compared our Operation Department with the ancient Inquisition. (15.6)
Yeah, we were thinking the same thing D-, but now that you've explained it, the lobotomies and mass conformity don't sound so bad.