4

Summary

• The protagonist feels trapped and on display inside a zoo, akin to the animals that cannot escape.
• Children and adults crowd the bars, while Capitol News covers the event, threatening to broadcast his embarrassment widely.
• He decides the best course of action is to face the situation head-on, attempting to appear bored and in control.
• The crowd recognizes him and starts asking questions, which makes him contemplate the state of the country.
• District tributes begin to mock him, sparking fear of a possible attack.
• Lucy Gray, his tribute, reassures him by telling him to "own it," leading him to act with more confidence.
• Together, they engage with the audience, particularly the children, which starts to endear Lucy Gray to the crowd.
• Lying that this was intentional, they turn the situation to their advantage by interacting with the camera and interviewer from Capitol News.
• Peacekeepers arrive to retrieve him from the enclosure, where he thanks the crowd and promotes Lucy Gray before departing calmly.
• His performance was broadcast across the Capitol, which he sees on screens as he is driven back to the Academy.
• He receives a cold response from the Peacekeepers, who escort him to the Academy's biology lab rather than the office, puzzling him.
• Once inside the lab, he's confronted by the Dean and Dr. Gaul, the head Gamemaker, about his unsanctioned appearance at the zoo.
• Dr. Gaul praises him for his initiative, suggesting he has the instincts for a Gamemaker, while the Dean questions his understanding of the Hunger Games' purpose.
• Coriolanus struggles to articulate why children are so important to the Hunger Games, revealing a deeper uncertainty about the love for children.
• Dean Highbottom dismisses his actions as a failed experiment, while Dr. Gaul leaves to attend to her muttations.
• The Dean then issues Coriolanus a demerit for his reckless actions, threatening expulsion if he receives two more.
• The chapter concludes with the Dean drugging himself, possibly with morphling, and Coriolanus contemplating the implications of the demerit.