The abiding moral lesson of the Inferno is that evil is always punished. Throughout his journey into hell, Dante the pilgrim comes across numerous people who, when they were alive, were rich and powerful. Many of them probably thought that they could act as they pleased without fear of any consequences. But the hideous punishments and tortures they are forced to endure is a reminder that actions always have repercussions.

In Cantos 15-16 of Inferno, the sodomites are punished by being forced to run continuously across burning sands. This punishment is located in the third ring of the seventh circle of Hell, symbolizing their sterility and representing a severe offense against nature, considered even worse than murder or suicide.

The message of Dante's Inferno is that human beings are subject to temptation and commit sins, leaving no escape from the eternal punishments of hell. However, human beings have free will, and they can make choices to avoid temptation and sin, ultimately earning the eternal rewards of heaven.

In Dante’s epic poem Inferno, hypocrites are punished by being forced to walk in circles while wearing outwardly ornate robes lined with heavy lead. Dante comments on the hypocrisy of clergymen who profess virtuous moral and religious beliefs but fail to uphold and practice them themselves. The men are damned to bear these seemingly lovely yet ultimately burdensome cloaks forever as “two-faced” hypocrites. Examples of such hypocritical religious figures include Catalano and Loderingo.

Dante is far more sympathetic to sinners who have committed smaller sins, like being ignorant of God or rejecting Church doctrine. He sympathizes with these people because although they did sin, they did not harm others in the process. Upon reaching the dwellings of those who committed fraud or violence, Dante feels little to no sympathy and judges the sinners. Virgil reminds Dante that only God can judge, and Dante should not imperil his soul by judging the other sinners. 

In Dante's Inferno, the lustful are punished, in the second level of hell, by being cast into a perpetual storm that is emblematic of the nature of lust itself: always raging, never satisfied. The fate of Paolo and Francesca, specifically, could be seen as both a punishment and a reward, depending on the types of arguments one chooses to focus on.

The punishment for gluttony in Dante's Inferno fits the crime through the concept of contrapasso, where the punishment reflects the nature of the sin. Gluttons, who indulged excessively in life, are condemned to eternally consume putrid mud and be tormented by Cerberus in the third circle of Hell. This harsh punishment mirrors their earthly indulgence, aligning with medieval views on gluttony as a severe sin.

Dante's sin as the Inferno opens is a sense of separation from God. As he travels through hell, it also becomes apparent that Dante suffers from the sins of undue sympathy for the damned, excessive pride, and anger.

The inscription over the gates in Dante's Inferno signifies the absence of hope and Christ, contrasting with John 14:6, which states that Jesus is the way to salvation. The gate's message, "abandon hope all ye who enter here," indicates that those who enter Hell, guided by Satan, are eternally separated from Christ and salvation.

According to Virgil in canto 11 of the Inferno, fraud or deceit is the sin that God hates most. Although Virgil says that malice "is the sin most hated by God," he goes on to explain that malice is done by fraud or by violence. As opposed to animals, only mankind is capable of fraud, and so God abhors this sin the most.