In Purgatory, the toilers are given tasks that are similar in their characteristic of justice. On the second level of Purgatory, those who were envious in their earthly lives are charged with the punishment of having their eyes sewn shut, as to make up for their covetousness during their lives. On the fourth level of Purgatory, the slothful are required to run constantly, to make up for their idleness.
Still, while both the residents of Hell and Purgatory are required to suffer in ways that relate and counteract their earthly wrongdoings, the sentiment of the punishments they are required to serve are completely and distinctly different. While the punishments of the residents of Hell are just that—punishments for their sins and for their transgressions against God, the residents of Purgatory retain a hope that when their “punishments” are duly served, they will rejoin God in Paradise. The existence of a later happiness is absolutely crucial to understanding the different psychological situations of the residents of Hell compared to the residents of Purgatory.
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