== Speculation == 

 :and the original intent of threatening Winston with the rats probably was not actually to go through with the act, but to force him into betraying the only person he loved and therefore break his spirit 

 This can go, IMO. It seems to be thinking that the miniluv officers were real, in order for them to have some sort of "intent". Of course, they were merely a made-uup story and not real at all. In any case, I'll bet that they were perfectly ready to go through with it.