The Book "Nineteen Eighty-Four" In George Orwell's Nineteen Eight-Four, a famous tract against tyranny and "thought police", the hero is threatened with a cage holding "enormous rats". The torturer explains that in the poor quarters of the town "a woman dare not leave her baby alone... Even for five minutes. The rats are certain to attack it. Within quite a small time they will strip it to the bones." After uttering this fearsome improbability, the torturer describes how rats "show astonishing intelligence in knowing when a human being is helpless"; and he explains that the cage will be fitted over the hero's head, the rats will be released and at once bore into his head and probably attack his eyes first. This hideous fantasy has no connection with what rats would actually do (they would probably be terrified); but the writing is so skillful that even today it remains effective. Source: the book "The Story of Rats" by S.A. Barnett