In the book, _1984_, which was written by George Orwell, political prisoners are treated differently from common criminals insomuch as that they are tortured, not fed well, and given undesirable jobs. This is so because political prisoners are deemed to be more of a threat against The Party than a common criminal. A political prisoner who speaks out against The Party plays more of a threat at undermining The Party’s rule than a shoplifter, for instance. As such, they are treated poorly in comparison to the common criminal prisoners.