O’Brien: “The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. … The
object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. … How does
one man assert his power over another, Winston?”
Winston: “By making him suffer.”
O”Brien: “Exactly, by making him suffer. Obedience is not enough.
Unless he is suffering, how can you be sure that he is obeying your will
and not his own. Power is inflicting pain and humiliation. … Do you
begin to see the kind of world we are creating? … Always there will be
the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is
helpless. … If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping
on a human face — forever.”
-– From George Orwell’s 1984