With status and recognition comes power, even in limited ways. Haymitch trades on his reputation and recognition to intervene in Gale's beating. Because he's "been showing up on television for years," he has authority; he's someone powerful because he's well known. That's enough to protect Gale and Katniss, at least for a little while.

Katniss has a rocky relationship with her mother. She mentally abandoned her children when they were small and forced Katniss into taking responsibility for the family. In many situations Katniss' mother is afraid of even the tiniest thing. Yet when she's in the healing zone, she's "immune to fear." She can care for other people and even save their lives. This is pretty much the opposite of Katniss, who falls to pieces when a person she knows is hurt.

Katniss criticizes herself harshly for what she sees as a lack of courage, saying she's both "selfish" and "a coward." She berates herself for not being "decent" or good, the proof being that she won the Games. If she were really good, unselfish, and decent, she would have lost the Games, which are designed to reward the strong, strategic, and selfish.