Torture

[soccergirl6]

In the room with the dials, O'Brien makes Winston look in the mirror at his filthy body. I understand that this is used as a mechanism of torture to make him see that they have power over him. But what I don't understand is why O'Brien said he was the last man. Don't they continue to capture thought criminals? They watched Winston for seven years, waiting for the right time to catch him. So they must be after other people too, right?

[The Atheist]

In the room with the dials, O'Brien makes Winston look in the mirror at his filthy body. I understand that this is used as a mechanism of torture to make him see that they have power over him. But what I don't understand is why O'Brien said he was the last man. Don't they continue to capture thought criminals? They watched Winston for seven years, waiting for the right time to catch him. So they must be after other people too, right?

It's not being used literally.

Yes, there are and will be others.

[flannel]

I believe that the statement was used to demine winston,because if he was the last "man"who would want to be like him (in his condition) i think this was used as a way to make winston think that if you werent a follower of the party you were nothing,which is the main objective of O'Brien.

[Skwurll]

I think he might have meant that mankind's humanity was dying, out, and that Winston represented the deterioration of humanity and the ideas associated with it, such as free thought and emotions.

[Jack Fields]

Yes, there are and will be others.

Why do you think so?

And to the topic. It has a psyhological effect. "You are the last, you are making no good to yourself, there is no-one in the world who will back you up, there is no-one who will stood for you, there will be no-one who will continue in your actions". If you hear this over and over, it will break you mentally. So that is why he was saying.