1984 #4

"And yet it was a fact that if Syme grasped, even for three seconds, the nature of his, Winston's, secret opinions, he would betray him instantly to the Thought Police. So would anybody else for that matter, but Syme more than most. Zeal was not enough. Orthodoxy was unconscienceness (Orwell, 55)." This quote emphasizes the fact that in this time, no one could be trusted. On many occasions, people who were believed to be friends or "comrades" ended up ratting eachother out on accounts of "thoughtcrime". This quote also somewhat shows what kind of a person Syme is, which may play into the plot later in the story. By saying "zeal was not enough, orthodoxy was unconscienceness", Orwell meant that no matter how fond people were of eachother, Big Brother had done his job by basically brainwashing the people to the point where they did not even think twice about telling the Party of eachothers' disobedience. This shows how scary of a world it must have been for Winston, constantly fearing everyone around him.