That is a great question that I have started to ask myself. Thanks to all who answered.
I have read good novels without dialogue, and most with. As one poster said, writing about past events makes dialogue seem stilted. I agree.
So, it's not necessary, there is none in 1984 as far as I remember, but dialogue is fun and essential in many novels. Don't worry about padding. That's for the editing stage.
PTxS