The Place Where There Is No Darkness

In the first two chapters of Book Three, we see Winston get tortured by O'Brien and his captors at the Ministry of Love. Winston is subjected to immense physical pain, and he eventually succumbs to the feelings of powerlessness in the face of the trauma he experiences. After many rounds of torture, Winston believes anything that O'Brien tells him, even if it is false, because nothing is worse than experiencing even more pain. 

One interesting thought is that O'Brien hints that he himself was once imprisoned, tortured and subject to re-education. However, O'Brien takes pleasure in the psychological control he has through his use of brutal torture to manipulate Winston. O'Brien says that torture is the perfect system because it brainwashes people into being happy under the rule of the party, ensuring stability. In addition, O'Brien loves torturing prisoners because the party's aim is to gain absolute power over the people. The torture victims, including Winston, are brainwashed to love the party and see the torture as beneficial. This is probably where the name "ministry of love" comes from.

Torture was fairly common in ancient and medieval times, but its use has greatly increased in the following centuries. However, state-sponsored torture still exists, most notably in North Korea's re-education camps which basically serve the same purpose as the Ministry of Love in 1984. It seems that even as society becomes more "civilized," people who have an extreme desire for power will use cruel methods like torture to feel that power over other people who have no control over the situation.

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