Fraud>Violence

It is obvious throughout the book that the lower Dante travels into hell, the worse the punishment is. The crimes usually fall under two categories: fraud, and violence. Many would argue violence is worse then fraud, but Dante would disagree. The worst punishment for murder is to be placed in the River of Blood. I thought that was the worst level until I read onto levels 7 and 8. The order of the crimes Dante matched with the levels can depend on different things. My guess would be Dante saw violent crimes as being at least yourself, you hurt someone because you are disturbed, and being violent is your human nature. However, when a person is a hypocrite or flatter, they pretend to be something they are not. They abuse the gifts God has given them.

It is apparent in the book that Dante shows more sorrow for the souls in circle 7 than he does in circle 8.In Circe 7 round three-the violent against God, Nature, and Art; it is shown Dante exhibits sorrow for the souls,"Love of the land that was our common source moved me to tears."(128) Dante feels sorry for the souls in circle 7, and is pained to watch them suffer. As he moves into circle 8, he doesn't share that same pain. When in Circle 8, Dante encounters many familiar faces he recognizes. When Dante encounters Vanni Fucci, he displays a Sharp and insistent tone with him, "Detain him a bit longer and ask him what crime it was that sent him here; I knew him as a man of blood and anger."(210)Usually Dante has more patience and understanding with the souls. Here he is short and ferm. I assume most of his anger goes back to pervious reasons in real life. Most likely, he was one of those people who would rather be killed then lied to.