What does the technique used in first paragraph of Stave Two help emphasize?

What does the technique used in first paragraph of steve two help emphasise?

"WHEN SCROOGE AWOKE it was so dark, that, looking out of bed, he could scarcely distinguish the transparent window from the opaque walls of his chamber. He was endeavoring to pierce the darkness with his ferret eyes, when the chimes of a neighboring church struck the four quarters. So he listened for the hour."