Watching "Person of Intrest" with my father and all I can think about is "Give Harold a cane!!!! C'mon, his life would be so much easier if the show writers just gave him a cane!!"
Pretty sure it's a conscious decision on the show writers' part to not do that
It's a telling bit of Harold's personality that he refuses to use a cane — a mix of his need to punish himself for the deaths that he feels are his fault and not wanting to feel like he needs outside support (an apt metaphor for his loner personality and refusal to let anyone in after the bombing)
Remember in 1x06 he uses a cane when posing as an investor for the evil pharmaceutical CEO, and in the restaurant scene, once he's announced that the CEO will be getting his due, Harold walks away holding the cane in his hand instead of using it — that's his demonstration of triumph
I suspect it was an Emerson decision. The nature of Harold’s injuries were never specified originally so it was left to him to decide what he was comfortable doing. He basically rocked up to the pilot like that.
