I read both of those during the same year in high school.
I remembering being very much more disturbed by "1984" (this was in say 1963-1965) because the government defeated the protagonists after the best fight they were capable of mustering.
"Brave New World" was much less depressing because all we needed to do was keep true to our values and convictions and not be misled by trivial rewards of trivial goals. Cinch to avoid.
Ahh...The Optimism and Naivety of Youth.
Of course, I do remember, at that same age, sitting in my car at a drive-in theater that was on a hilltop over looking the city and looking out over all the lights of the city (pop. 120,000) and sadly thinking that behind each light were folks who drew their view of life from "I Love Lucy" and "The Honeymooners" TV shows.