The Thought Police are the ever-present, though often invisible, antagonists of
In the end of the book the Thought Police are successful, as Winston never reaches his goal. Nearly everyone Winston interacts with is either serving the Thought Police directly or is sympathetic to their cause. Winston’s neighbors, their children, and his coworkers all represent potential informants. The characters who are sympathetic to Winston and Julia’s situation, like O’Brien and Mr. Charrington, turn out to be actual members of the Thought Police who were working against Winston’s interests all along. Because every character besides Julia acts to thwart Winston’s goal, the antagonist can be considered to be everyone in the novel other than the two main characters.