Kathy O'Brien is Steve's lawyer. In theory, it is her job to prove Steve innocent, but O'Brien shows little faith in Steve winning the trial. Throughout the novel, it appears that O'Brien isn't too thrilled about having to work for Steve, let alone holding a job as a lawyer. She has presumptions about Steve on account of his association with the "thugs" of Manhattan. One could say that she's in the wrong for having such presumptions since it's her job to prove Steve innocent; however, one could also argue that perhaps O'Brien's track record in court the reason why she doubts Steve's innocence. She has no emotional drive to prove Steve's innocence, seeing his case as just another trial.
Another topic of discussion is O'Brien's refusal of a hug from Steve after the trail. This refusal could simply be because O'Brien wishes to maintain professional standards. She works for Steve, she isn't his friend, and the trial results happened simply because she did her job. O'Brien's "stiffness" is a reason why professionalism isn't enough of an explanation for the awkwardness of this scene. It's possible that O'Brien wanted Steve to be proven guilty, but that would require her to be careless of her stature as a reliable lawyer. Does she care? Though she works immensely hard to prove Steve's innocence, she shows little passion for the job. A lot of her hard work comes from her coaching Steve on what to say in court and criticizing his improvised responses. The interaction between Steve and O'Brien in this final scene, or lack thereof, is a hot topic of discussion for the classroom. With these two characters driving a majority of the story, readers have a load of conversations and information to use when analyzing the characters' relationship and why it ended so abruptly.
-Kayla Loos
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