Our group has currently read up to page 239 and we have learned quite a lot about Winston and the society in which he lives.  I actually read ahead almost to the end of the book *spoiler alert* and what I find most interesting and chilling is the torture which is inflicted upon Winston.  O'Brien is actually a government worker who sets Winston up and is put in charge of his torture when he is captured by the thoughtpolice.  There are too many fascinating details to go into on a short blog, but the moment that really got me was when Winston is finally convinced that 2+2=5.  The party wears him down and actually proves itself right.  They control the past and the present and therefore they control the future.