Gwinny, Good job challenging our perceptions of Mr. Orwell. I agree he was probably a socialist, but he was adamantly anti-totalitarian in both his writing and politics at the time. Todays socialists are as different as yesterdays liberal democrats. They have become the totalitarians Orwell warned us against. Turner is an opportunist. He has owned "capital" entities which are heavily regulated by the central government and has become wealthy in the process. Jane is probably just the old eccentrics' "trophy" wife. She probably counted on his early demise so she could run for the governess of Georgia or something equally ridiculous.