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From The Godfather:
They had assumed that it was another gang execution, and had questioned hoodlums with records in the rackets and a history of strong-arm. Since Vito had never been in trouble he never came into the picture.
So, what is the meaning of that here? I haven't found that in dictionaries.
While
come into something: To be an aspect of a situation.
Example: The argument was over artistic freedom – money never came into it. Macmillan
and
Picture: [SINGULAR] a situation. Macmillan
I would clearly interpret
Since Vito had never been in trouble he never came into the picture.
As this: Due to the fact that Vito (probably legally) didn't get into any trouble, he wasn't being involved in the investigation.
There're also a phrase that's almost an opposite to this in terms of meaning:
Out of the picture: no longer involved in something Again Macmillan
"In the picture" is a common idiom meaning "relevant to the conversation". I haven't seen The Godfather, so I don't understand the context, but I would assume it means
Since Vito had never been in trouble they assumed it wasn't him, so they didn't question him.
