I went on a tour of Rocinha 3 years ago, with Zezinho, who actually lives in Rocinha. We didn't go peering into anyone's windows, but instead walked around the neighborhood where we saw how daily life is. We also ate a restaurant in Rocinha, and saw some of the work Zezinho does to help people living there.

You can see an interview with Zezinho to learn more. Personally, I found the tour was a good way to understand how things are there, and they were much different than how I imagined it.