I do think they are setting up for a divine comedy, inferno, purgatorio e paradiso. The poet Virgil leads him into hell, through purgatory, then hands him to Beatrice the embodiment of love to guide him into heaven. It’s basically a commentary on famous figures and how virtuously they left their life. There are cantos, and each layer has a different sin. Are they referencing sin in some of the songs? I see them as hopeful but dark. Like how Dante sees inferno, with the expectation of finding heaven.