Let's face it: Katniss's love for Prim supersedes her love for Gale. And the doubt she has about whether Gale contributed to Prim's death is enough to keep him away from her forever. Whatever they had before is lost, because Katniss can't separate him from her understanding of Prim's death and what/who might have caused it.

Katniss has lost almost every friend she's had through this war – mostly to death. But some, like Peeta and Gale, seem to be taken from her by the combat itself. The war has stripped Katniss of her friends, allies, and confidantes. The people who've made it through now seem almost alien to her. In a moment when she needs an friendly ear more than ever, it's nowhere to be found.

Cinna is dead but his work sure lives on. His designs have helped Katniss many times in <em>Mockingjay</em> even though he wasn't there to see it. He's helped protect her and hold her together. Similarly, the prep team pulls itself together to protect Katniss and keep her looking "normal," even if internally she feels like "a wasteland."