One of my favorite characters in the book was Syme. He was simultaneously smart enough to grasp the complex, destructive, thought-controlling nature of his work with newspeak, while also naive enough to be blind to the danger of expressing his understanding. Surely he knew of the thought police. So why make himself a target. Was he incapable of doublethink? Or was it something to do with pride? Was Syme so assured of his value to the party that he thought himself indispensable? It makes me think of the 'left eating it's own'.