Catching Fire Theme of Manipulation

Trust is a valuable and rare commodity in the Hunger Games, where hardly anyone can be trusted. By the end of Catching Fire, most of the people Katniss thought she could trust have revealed that they've been lying and manipulating her all along. Katniss entered the Quarter Quell knowing she was being played by the Capitol, and that there was nothing she could do about it. Now she finds out that an organized group of rebels was carrying out their own game within the game and that she was being used by them to prove their larger points. Man, if there's anything worse than being manipulated, it's being doubly manipulated.

1. Which character is the most skilled at manipulation, in your opinion?
2. What do you think of the explanation Haymitch gives Katniss at the end, which is supposed to fill her in and answer her questions about what happened in the arena?
3. If the rebels hadn't interfered in the Quarter Quell, who do you think would have been more successful in sacrificing himself/herself to save the other: Peeta or Katniss?
4. Pick two characters and compare and contrast their skills at manipulation. What are their strengths and weaknesses?
5. Is manipulation ever a good thing? For example, were Haymitch and the rebels justified in manipulating Katniss and Peeta?
6. In what ways is the Capitol successful at manipulating Katniss? When do they fail?