Why did John the Baptist "cry out in the wilderness"?

We read in Mark 1:1-4 : > The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. One wonders as to why John the Baptist chose to cry out in the wilderness where he would have no one listening to him. His intended audience was the people living in cities and villages, with the exception of hermits who had left the place of human habitation in order to lead an austere life. Or is it possible that the wilderness that John the Baptist preached in was on the way of travelers? Matthew 3:13-17 shows that John baptized people in the river Jordan, which must have been close to human habitation. My question therefore is: **According to Catholic scholars, why did John the Baptist cry out in the wilderness?**