“Taking in the scene” is used in this context most likely to refer to the character being at some distance from the object of his observance (in this case the room and those in it) and examining it as a whole (as an overview). Without more context from the rest of the paragraph, it’s hard to tell what else the character was doing at that moment.

Though, the character has a strong moral quality, its lack of relevance can make the character less convincing that he had started writing.