George Orwell once quoted:
“Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.”
In application to 1984, Winston (being thirty-nine), most likely believed that the younger people didn't rebel against the Party because they didn't understand the immoral issues as he did. Winston knew that Big Brother was a cruel way of keeping society in order, which made him wiser and more intelligent. This may be why finding and meeting Julia excited him, because she acted against the ways of the government at a younger age than him. Along with this, the quote would explain why Winston wonders about how life in the past was.
Do the younger generations in 1984 feel that the Party is wrong? Or is Winston alone in his thoughts?