This scene is to remind us of earlier in the novel, when Winston saw the thought criminals Jones, Aronson, and Rutherford at the Chestnut Tree Cafe. Rutherford began to weep as Winston looked on.
At the time, he thought they looked old and rough. Now, Winston is in their shoes. He is a thought criminal and has been tortured at the hands of Big Brother. He even begins to weep at the end of the novel, just like Rutherford did.
