‘Hearts and Hands’ by O. Henry explores various ideas from pretense, identity, independence, and honesty. Through the character of Easton, the author highlights how the human psyche works on appearances and how people can manipulate their appearances to manipulate others.

It also comments on the lives many people live and which is confined, imitative and defined by what others expect from them. In a way, they live a life under constant judgment.

They live to fit other people’s opinions even without realizing so. Easton for all his politeness lived a life based on impersonation and deceit and never fulfilled his true potential.