I understand the Victory Tour happens about halfway between two Games, in which they make speeches and a feast, but this is between Districts and to my understanding, not within the Capitol.
I also know that Cashmere and Finnick were prostituted to Capitol citizens, but were they prevented from visiting the Capitol any other time? Also, I am aware that each District has a Victors' Village where Victors live in moderate comfort with a pension for the rest of their lives, but could they potentially do visitations to the Capitol? Perhaps if they agreed to lie about the games and talk about how wonderful they think the Capitol is? Thoughts?
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2 Answers
First off, you're mistaken about the Victory Tour: victors on this tour do visit the Capitol, usually at the end of the tour. From the book Catching Fire (emphasis mine):
District 11. Our first stop. I'd rather start in any other district, since this was Rue's home. But that's not how the Victory Tour works. Usually it kicks off in 12 and then goes in descending district order to 1, followed by the Capitol. The victor's district is skipped and saved for very last.
As to your main question, the answer is unknown from book/film canon, but here's some evidence that victors can and do visit the Capitol more frequently than just for mentoring in the Games and for their own Victory Tour:
- The victors who are prostituted, such as Finnick and Cashmere, have to be "on call" to Capitol citizens who require their 'services'. It's unlikely that they take a train from their District every time, or that the dandified Capitol folk ever visit their Districts and mix with the 'Great Unwashed'. That leaves two possibilities: either they have a schedule to follow and go on controlled visits to the Capitol for certain periods of time, or they spend a lot of time in the Capitol.
- Many of the victors seem to know each other fairly well, such as Haymitch and Chaff. How would these two be on 'drinking partner' terms if they spent all their time holed up in their separate districts except during the Games when they were on mentoring duty? This suggests travel is somewhat freer for victors.
Finally, you're hinting at some sort of agreement with the Capitol where the victors "agreed to lie about the games and talk about how wonderful they think the Capitol is". I doubt such a promise would ever have to be made explicitly. They know who's boss, they know their lives and the lives of their loved ones are always in danger, so they'll do whatever they have to do in order to be safe. Praising the Capitol is a given. (Hey, they can't all be Johanna "f--- that, and ---k everyone that had anything to do with that" Mason!)
answered Dec 11, 2015 at 2:30
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Thank you very much, I hadn't remembered Chaff and Haymich's connection. Also, thank you for clarifying the nature of the tour. Much appreciated! Commented Dec 11, 2015 at 2:46
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@CapitolHungry You're welcome! :-) I'd had the same sort of thoughts as you express in your question, in connection to Chaff and Haymitch (how do they know each other so well?), but never got round to asking it. I also just added another paragraph to address your last few sentences. (PS: if this answers your question, you can "accept" it by clicking the checkmark below the answer score on the left.)– Rand al'Thor ♦Commented Dec 11, 2015 at 3:26
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Haymitch has been going to the capitol for 20+ years by the time we meet him, so it is entirely possible that he has achieved drinking buddy status with Chaff over that time, as they would see each other twice per year and share common experiences (i.e. winning and then mentoring, etc.). Commented Dec 14, 2015 at 16:26
Building on rand al'thor's great evidence, I think that, while it's possible that some Victors visit the Capitol for prostitution throughout the year, it doesn't present a plot inconsistency if the only time the Victors return to the Capitol is as Mentors during the annual games.
The 74th Hunger Games lasted 18 days and the 25th Quarter Quell lasted the longest at 27 days, plus at least a week of prep and training.
It's perfectly credible that Victors could develop close friendships in the month or so they out of every year that spend in the Capitol during the games, especially considering that they share a uniquely traumatic experience that no one else understands, and that they likely don't socialize with Capitol citizens unless they have to. That gives Chaff and Haymitch something like three weeks of drinking nights a year with limited access to other friends and a terrible, stressful job that few other people understand. It's no wonder they're drinking buddies. It's also part of the Mentor's job to build alliances with other Mentors and their tributes, further encouraging close relationships.
It's possible that the majority of Victor prostitution takes place during those couple weeks when they're already in the Capitol and back in the public eye. It's also a Mentor's job to secure Gifts from Capitol Sponsors, which might be part of the agreement. From what we know about the Capitol's trend-based economy, the most demand for Victors would be when they're back in the spotlight during the annual games. It's possible that some rich citizens might keep especially attractive Victors like Finnick in town year-round, but that's likely the exception to the rule.
