Snow leaves a university building, admired by onlookers for his appearance and Peacekeeper status.
He has gained respect as an intern Gamemaker, contributing ideas to make the Hunger Games more engaging.
Snow proposed rewarding the winning tribute's district with food parcels and suggesting a Victor's Village and monetary prize for the victor to attract better tributes.
Reflecting on his relationship with the Plinths, who see him as an heir after their son's death, Snow appreciates their financial support but maintains his own identity.
The Plinths have filled a parental role for Snow, with Strabo treating him more like a son than an adopted child.
Snow is preparing to commemorate Sejanus's birthday with a quiet dinner and invites friends who will remember him fondly.
Before the dinner, Snow visits Dean Highbottom to retrieve his mother's compact and deal with Sejanus's belongings.
During the visit, Dean Highbottom reveals the true origin of the Hunger Games as a twisted idea born from a drunken conversation with Snow's father.
Snow subtly returns a diploma frame with a Plinth family photo to the dean while discarding other items of Sejanus.
The conversation with Highbottom continues, revealing Snow's hardened perspective on love and future ambitions to rule Panem with cruelty for the sake of survival.
Snow plans to marry someone who cannot affect his emotions, considering Livia Cardew as a suitable prospect for a future first lady.
He reflects on his relationship with Lucy Gray, feeling indifferent to her fate but intending to guard against vulnerability.
Finally, Snow remembers handling rat poison and subtly poisoning Dean Highbottom's morphling, leaving the dean to die and affirming his dominance with the closing thought, "Snow lands on top."