The chasm of the Hypocrites is mainly filled with those who sinned against religion, the cloaks of the Hypocrites, are actually are instruments of torture.

“Hypocrites – they wear gorgeous cloaks lined with lead; pretty outside, awful inside; heavy cloaks force them to behave sedately, although seething within; cloak true character in false appearance.” ― Dante Alighieri

Thier heavy garments force their attitudes to be decorous and subdued, which is quite fitting with their character of hiding their vicious nature beneath a virtuous and holy appearance, just like the Engineers on Planet 4.

Dante places the Hypocrites in the eighth circle of Hell, because of Dante’s definition of sin as a perversion of the intellect. False piety, dishonesty and deliberate cloaking of their character are considered a sin, which not many could be considered equal to, even as David meets the Covenant crew he is cloaked in the Engineer’s same garment. This is no mistake.

In this place, Dante also comes across Caiaphas, who advised Pontius Pilate to condemn Jesus to death on the cross, for the supposed benefit of the city. David also condemns the Engineers, for the creation of his Second Eden.