“I do.” She took a deep breath. “What I’d like people to know about Jessup is that he was a good person. He threw his body over mine to protect me when the bombs started going off in the arena. It wasn’t even conscious. He did it reflexively. That’s who he was at heart. A protector. I don’t think he would’ve ever won the Games, because he’d have died trying to protect Lucy Gray.” “Oh, like a dog or something.” Lepidus nodded. “A really good one.” “No, not like a dog. Like a human being,” said Lysistrata.
Interesting how ingrained it is in his brain that capitol>district and that district = animal. He's been alive before the or much longer than the kids so he would know how it was like before, but i guess seeing the war at a much more mature age and much more involved only made him more prejudiced against the district, while the kids also lived through the war but at a much younger age and just remember the bad times can sympathize more with these kids from the districts and still recognize the humanity.
