How does the authors decision to begin passage 2 with a description of the city affect the reader's perception of babbitts situation

I think that the author decided to begin passage 2 with a description of the city in order to  immerse the reader in the environment and the conditions in which babbitts are. The writer only wants to emphasize that a situation in which babbitts are, somehow has a connection with the area in which they are located, that is the city.