I’m surprised how little the fandom seems to discuss Peeta’s abuse. To me, his childhood with an abusive parent influences his decisions as much as Katniss’ childhood with an invisible parent. Katniss had to kill to survive, to become the parent and feed her family. Killing is about survival. For Peeta, as the victim of abuse, violence is a last resort. It’s the reason he made it through two arenas with his hands mostly clean. Katniss views his pacifism as a sign that he’s just deep-down better than most people, but it can easily be tied to a childhood of physical and verbal abuse at the hands of a woman who was supposed to protect him from harm. It explains his role as both pacifist and protector.