Caravaggio has painted this scene from his time line not from the original time line when it would have occurred. A man is standing asking for the tax collector and the men are looking at him but pointing at the man seated at the table with his body hunched over the money in front of him. Although the scene is dark and foreboding the people are lit from a light source coming from behind the man who is asking for Matthew, this draws attention to the people not the interior of the building, which is obviously unimportant compared to the men.