Despair in Urban Setting

Consider the following excerpt from a novel:

'The eternal gray of the concrete jungle swallowed the light, suffocating the vibrancy of human existence. In the merciless embrace of the city, the rain fell, not as a gentle caress but as a relentless downpour that mirrored the heartbeat of its inhabitants—a frantic, unyielding rhythm of survival. Among the towering monstrosities of steel and glass, one could hardly find solace, as shadows lurked longer than they should, casting doubt on what was real and what was merely a figment of the mind.'

In this passage, the author constructs a setting that profoundly affects the emotional tone and atmosphere of the narrative. Which of the following aspects of setting best contributes to the overarching mood of despair communicated in this excerpt?