There are different ways for a dystopia to control the masses: some do it by spreading the love (a la Brave New World), some by spreading fear and 'love' (a la 1984). A firm government and good social order helps keep those pesky rebels from disrupting the system. After all, the rebellion's power is through the people, they draw their strength from the average Joe's discontent, and if the average Joe is content or blissfully unaware of their own oppression, the rebels could not gain much ground.
If I am a head of a dictatorship, the first thing that I would like to do is silence the educated middle-class. Most revolutions in the modern world happened because of a disgruntled middle-class. They have a level of education higher than those of the lower-class, while having power less than those of the upper-class. They have enough education to know better than to swallow propaganda without discerning it first, and enough distance to the ruling class to not enjoy the privileges; in short they make a perfect target for the rebels.
A lot of ways can use to pacify the middle class, but if I'm a dictator, I would try to isolate them from the other classes as much as I can, restricting their travels. The middle class is the administrative force of the country, they do the work that was too smart for the lower-classes and too inane for the upper-classes. Ordinary office workers, typing away in their cramped cubicles, is prone to boredom, and have to be entertained somehow. Boredom leads to curiosity and curiosity kills the cat, fuels the rebellion, and topples the government.
But their work is also important to the long-lasting of your government; after all war is not only fought in land and water but also in papers and archives. He who controls the present controls the past and he who controls the past controls the future. One must not interfere with their work, lest productivity goes down, and the government becomes less efficient. A shift-system can solve this problem, giving each worker a day each week for holiday, and then those day gets rotated randomly every few months so as not to create a routine, which bores the worker.
You don't have to do much with the upper class, since the privilege they get from being in the ruling class is enough incentive for them to stay compliant, but take care of those power-hungry social climbers who's looking to seize your power for their own. Eliminate them, discreetly. But do not kick someone that's already surrendered to you, since it will create mistrust of your government. When your enemy is down, help them, so they will forever become in debt to you.
The lower class is an easy job. Since they are not kept for their intellect, mainly for their muscle, you can give them many leeway. Ply them with mindless entertainment, trashy books that lowers their brain cells, orgies. Set them free; since they're not bright anyway they won't pose much harm. You have to be careful, however, to not let them in contact of anything educated or subversive. The proles are content and happy and free in their ignorance, and if you put silly ideas into their brain (like rebelling for example) their freedom will bite you in your ass.
The key on maintaining your rule as a dictator is by isolating each respective class, dividing them, hacking them into pieces until it's virtually impossible for them to unite. A solid, united society is not great for your government. Divide them. Sow seeds of distrusts among them, seeds of discord. Condition them to think that it's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and it's useless to think about anyone other than themselves. Sever any familial and friendship ties between individuals. This way, it will be easier to control them, since they are more than willing to turn at any subversive person, even if those subversive person is their own parents.
Maintaining a social order is simple, really: indulge the lower-class, appease the middle-class, control the upper-class, and set them against each other. Lots of surveillance helps too, since they can be used to easily monitor any subversive activity. Oh, and don't forget cruel and unusual punishment for those who goes against you.
And that's what it takes to be a dictator!
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