| The contrapasso is traditionally said to function either by analogy or by contrast or by a combination of the two. |
| Diana Glenn interprets the symbolism in Myrrha's contrapasso as being that her sin is so unnatural and unlawful that she is forced to abandon human society and simultaneously she loses her identity. |
| These sinners prevented the flow of goods by hoarding or squandering, and their just contrapasso is to parody the complete circle which they never fostered in life. |
| Slightly less subtle, is the contrapasso in the tenth and final pit of circle eight for the falsifiers, whose corrupting influence on metals, money, identity, and truth is reflected in their diseased bodies and minds. |
| The contrapasso for the thieves, is arguably the most conceptually sophisticated of the poem, as their dramatic transformations between human and reptilian forms suggest that one's hold on one's identity is tenuous. |
| Adding to the contrapasso, Dante learns that the souls of the suicides will not be re-united with their bodies at the Last Judgment. |
