see to me this is yet another important detail in his characterization. like i'm sorry to get serious here but it means a lot to me. hands are a very signature detail in phoenix's previous sprites: i mean, he does the objection, he points the finger, he lawyers the law, so him hiding his hands is sort of symbolic to him not being a lawyer anymore and kind of giving up on in in general. he never (or rarely) says his badge got taken away, usually he phrases it as him "giving up law", as if it was voluntary. but anyway, hands are also important for him as a character now: he is quite literally hiding his "hand", as in the cards he will play. and last but no least, hands are an important detail in aa4 overall: kristoph gavin's "devil" is on his hand, he kills people with nail polish with a hand on it, fingerprints play a very important part in cases and so does handwriting, and honestly, i could go on.