How important is character and setting descriptions for character development and storytelling?

So I asked this question in r/Confession because I got a bit of backlash on a story and needed to look into if it was my fault. The prompt was this:<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>I accidentally went into the wrong classroom, where an old man looked at me and said “so you’re here. Good. You have a choice to make now. Stay in this classroom and end your life, or leave and start it.” Then he just started teaching a lesson like he was expecting me to stay. Had to choose between different options with pros and cons like what to do. I’m still trying to figure out if it was a dream or not.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>(I know I’m in a history class right now. I can see the clock ticking away on the wall. So there’s a chance this was a dream. Can’t tell. It seemed real though. It seemed possible. So I’m going to write it down.)<br><br>I got to the school today as I normally do every morning. Walked through the entrance. Walked through the hallway, turned left somewhere, turned right somewhere, went down the stairs, and I was in the hallway of the ground floor. Then I stopped, looked around, realized I didn’t know where I was, and asked a nearby student for directions. He gave me weird looks but pointed me in the right direction. Thanked him. Walked to the class. <br><br>As soon as I opened the door, an old man looked at me and stopped talking abruptly. “So you’re here. Good. You have a choice to make now. Stay in this classroom and end your life, or leave and start it.”<br><br>I stood there. I was frozen. Some of the other students looked at me, some stared straight ahead. The old man didn’t look surprised at all. It didn’t look like a joke. It just seemed like he had been expecting me. I think the word “passenger” came up. <br><br>I looked around. The classroom was old. The ceiling was like the one in the school I’m in right now. But the desks and chairs were old. The students… they were mostly dressed in white. The boys had white pants, white shoes, white shirts, white caps. The girls had long white dresses. I don’t think any of them were wearing any different colored clothing. I don’t even think they had any accessories on. Their hair was styled neatly. The girls had their hair pulled back and the boys had their hair parted neatly. Everyone looked neat. Everyone looked nice. <br><br>But something was off. <br><br>I looked at the blackboard. There was math on the blackboard. Something to do with numbers. I don’t remember what exactly. But it didn’t look like anything I have learned before. Maybe it was algebra. I don’t know. <br><br>Everybody in the classroom looked at me. Some of them seemed welcoming while others seemed threatening. They all seemed to know what I was going through and what I was thinking. Some of them were leaning to leave and some of them were leaning to stay. <br><br>I didn’t understand anything. But somehow I knew what was happening. The old man had told me. Stay in this classroom and end your life, or leave and start it. <br><br>What did that mean?<br><br>I didn’t know. But I knew I was between two roads and had no choice but to choose one. <br><br>The old man looked at me proudly. The room fell silent. I heard footsteps. I looked behind me and saw some of the students leave. Some of them stayed. Some of them grinned at me as if they were trying to tell me something. <br><br>“Welcome,” the old man said. “Welcome passengers. Thank you for choosing to stay. You know who you are.”<br><br>He looked at me again. “You have passed the first test. You are strong willed. But you have two roads ahead. You can choose one road. But you have to choose. If you take the road ahead of you, you will have your life ended. That’s what it means. But you know who you are. You know why you are here. You know you can’t leave. The road behind you will start your life. But you don’t know anything yet. So go or stay. The decision is yours.”<br><br>The old man grinned. “But you have to choose. You can’t just stand there. You must choose.”<br><br>Then the old man waved at me and continued to teach his lesson and ignored me. <br><br>I stood there. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what lay at each end of the road. Some of the students stared at me. Some of them tried to tell me something. Some of them tried to tell me to stay while others told me to leave. I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there. <br><br>And then I woke up. It was just a dream. I’m in real life right now. But I swear. I swear I was actually there. If I close my eyes, I can still see that classroom. I can still see the other students. I can still see the old man. <br><br>That’s why I’m writing this down. So I can remember it. So I can remember that classroom and the old man. So I can remember what he said. <br><br>Welcome passengers. Thank you for choosing to stay. <br><br>That’s what he said. <br><br>I didn’t stay. I didn’t stay because I thought it was a dream. But when I woke up, something was different. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know why but I had the urge to write this down. I had the urge to remember that classroom and what the old man said. <br><br>So I’m going to remember. I’m going to remember for my whole life.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>I just wanted to ask what the point or necessity of setting and character descriptions are for character development and storytelling. I personally think that they can and should be avoided as much as possible, but in real life they seem to be extremely common. Is there a particular reason why they’re important for storytelling?