Quote 43
Messalla proves most valuable because he lived in a near replica of this apartment and knows where people would be most likely to stash food. (21.17)
In times of war, people no longer reserve admiration for beauty, intelligence, or bravery. They look up to those who possess the skills to ensure basic survival. Messalla can find a stash of food – at this moment in the book, nothing's more important than that. Without food, they can't go on.
Quote 44
One I'm in Cinna's Mockingjay suit, the only scars visible are on my neck, forearms, and hands. Octavia secures my Mockingjay pin over my heart and we step back to look in the mirror. I can't believe how normal they've made me look on the outside when inwardly I'm such a wasteland. (26.28)
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."
Quote 45
What's amazing is how clearly I remember them. The tunes, the lyrics. My voice, at first rough and breaking on the high notes, warms up into something splendid. A voice that would make the mockingjays fall silent and then tumble over themselves to join in. (27.13)
Katniss recognizes the beauty and power of her own voice, and it's one of the only things that keep her going during her depression and imprisonment. It's a glimpse of what she could have been outside the games and war; instead of being a Mockingjay, she could have sung in another way. But she never really got the chance, and now she's not sure if there's anyone around to hear her.