This courtyard is filled with curious and angry onlookers and is constantly monitored by the government. Both characters express very different reactions to these circumstances. “Winston, in normal times, the sort of person who gravitates to the outer edge of any kind of melee, jostling, colliding, wriggling his way into the heart of the crowd” (Orwell 144), while Julia “moved nimbly around the lions at the base of the monument and joined in the race” (Orwell 144). Even before the two exchange words, their reactions to tension and pressure begin to characterize their interactions. Winston is skittish and hesitant, the most reserved figure in the relationship , while Julia is agile and cunning, the physical leader. The two are unable to express these traits through direct dialogue or action due to the totalitarian regime, yet their attributes still show subtly.