Parsons' question shows the enormous gap between reality and delusion in Oceania. The very name of the government department—the Ministry of Plenty—implies that the economic system delivers a plentiful supply of everything the citizens of Oceania could possibly want. By the same token, the Ministry of Truth, where Winston works, implies that the government always tells the truth to its citizens.

In both cases, however, the truth is very different. Just as there is no truth in Oceania, so there is no plenty. Most people outside the Party's inner sanctum lead impoverished lives, experiencing chronic shortages of even the most basic necessities. When Parsons comments on what a good job the Ministry of Plenty has been doing, it's clear that he's simply parroting the Party line, which deliberately blurs the distinction between truth and fiction. If the Ministry of Plenty really were doing such a great job, then Parsons wouldn't need to ask Winston if he could borrow a spare razor blade. Therein lies the irony. The fact that he needs to make such a request should tell Parsons that what he's been told about the Ministry of Plenty is a total lie. But in a society where 2+2=5 if the Party says it does, Parsons's cognitive dissonance is by no means uncommon.