Chapter 2 of book three is all about making your mind believe things that are not necessarily true. While Winston is being tortured by O'Brien, O'Brien asks, "how many fingers am I holding up?" Winston knowing that he is only holding up four, says five, because he is forced to believe what the party says. This shows that even a person like Winston, a very strong believer of his opinions, can change his mind very quickly when it comes to harsh treatment or torture. The reason for this is because it makes your mind insane. Also, Winston says, "who controls the past controls the future, and who controls the present controls the past." This quote is saying that since the party controls the past, they can make or change anything that will happen in the future. Since the party said the past was terrible, they are trying to show the people that they have liberated it and made it better when that is a lie. Even though Winston might not want to believe that untrue, he knows he is in a bind and has no way out.
Not only does Winston know he has to say what he knows isnt true, he begins to believe it all and realizes that this is his way to getting out and being "free" again and the party's way to making the people believe in them
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