"You haven't hurt people, Katniss. You've given them an opportunity. They just have to be brave enough to take it."

Gale Hawthorne was Katniss Everdeen's best friend, hunting partner, and one of the main characters of the trilogy. He is fiercely devoted to his family, to Katniss, and to the rebel cause. He is in love with Katniss and is forced to watch as she volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games in the place of her sister and fakes a romance with Peeta Mellark in order to stay alive. After the Games, he becomes a threat to the Capitol through his semi-romantic relationship with Katniss, and he is used to gain leverage over her. He escapes the Bombing of District 12 and leads the survivors to the lake, where they are then rescued by District 13. In 13, he becomes a soldier for the rebellion and fights at Katniss's side for the remainder of the war.