"...there are below this wall three smaller circles, each in its degree like those you are about to leave, and all are crammed with god's accurst "

The Canto begins with the poets closing in on the inner edge of the sixth circle when they find themselves overpowered by a terrible stench, which makes them fall back. While cowering from the grotesque smell, Virgil explains the three smaller circles below the wall. The three circles contain those who are fraudulent, malicious, or violent. God considers fraud to be the greatest of these three and is placed below all the other, has worse punishments, because humans are the only one capable of it. The next up is Malice which god hates. The first below them is violence. God is separated into three descending rounds of crueler torments, where the three rounds are categorized as God, self, and neighbor.

What was extremely confusing to me in this Canto is that God considers those who are fraudulent are punished greater than those who are violent. You can be a murderer and in hell have a torment less than that of someone who committed fraud. I do not understand how this is possible other than that Dante's view on god is that he punishes considering human's ability ability towards reason and how we can manipulate others. All animals can murder other animals, but humans are the only animals that can be fraudulent towards each other.