Orwell, George — Nineteen eighty-four [748]

But though it is unreal it is not meaningless. It eats up the surplus of consumable goods, and it helps to preserve the special mental atmosphere that a hierarchical society needs. — Orwell, George, Nineteen eighty-four, 748

Note

The distinction between ‘unreal’ and ‘meaningless’ is the conceptual hinge of the whole war argument — the reversal recurs precisely because the false war still does real work.