"Souls who are good never pass this way; therefore, if you hear Charon complaining at our presence, consider what that means." Canto III
"Some lived before the Christian faith, so that they did not worship God aright- and I am one of these. Through this, no other fault, we are lost..." Canto IV
I though the first passage listed was very important to the understanding of the text as a whole. Quite frankly, Dante's whole predicament was confusing to me, but this passage explains a key element of him. He is good and won't remain in Hell. From what I have understood he couldn't get to heaven on his own so Virgil is leading him through Hell to get there. Regardless, I think it was good to reinforce the fact he is good so we view the entire Hell journey as a tourist not as an experience.
I thought the second passage was a little interesting. I can't decide if it is the author taking a shot at the church or if the church supports this view. This passage is followed by many great thinkers of the classical era where Christianity didn't exist and they are in a way being punished. Or when this was written, the church could have said that those individuals were wrong in believing in a God that wasn't available to them at the time. Either way it seems unfair to me that they have to stuck in Limbo even if they lived virtuous lives.
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