Love of self and love of the world rule in the hells and also
constitute them. Love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor rule in
the heavens and also constitute them. These loves are diametrically
opposite. Love of self consists in wishing well to oneself alone, and
not to others except for the sake of oneself, not even to the Church,
to one's country, or to any human society; also in doing good to them,
but for the sake of one's reputation, honor and glory. Unless he sees
these in the services he renders them, he says in his heart, "Of what
use is it? Why should I do it? Of what advantage will it be to me?",
and he leaves it undone. His delight is only that of self-love. And
because the delight which springs from his love makes the life of a
man, therefore his life is the life of self; and the life of self is
life from man's _proprium_; and the _proprium_ of man, viewed in
itself, is nothing but evil. Love of self is of such a quality, too,
that, as far as the reins are given it, it rushes on until at length
it desires to rule not only over the whole earth, but over the whole
heaven, too, and over the Divine Himself.
--_Heaven and Hell, nn._ 554, 556, 559
"OUR NAME IS LEGION"
Men have believed hitherto that there is some one devil who is over
the hells, and that he was created an angel of light; but that after
he turned rebel, he was cast down with his crew into hell. Men have
had this belief because the Devil is named in the Word, and Satan, and
also Lucifer, and in these passages the Word has been understood
according to the sense of the letter, when yet hell is meant in them
by the Devil and Satan.... That there is no single Devil to whom the
hells are subject, is also evident from this fact, that all who are in
the hells, like all who are in the heavens, are from the human race;
and that from the beginning of the creation to this time they amount
to myriads of myriads, every one of whom is a devil of a sort
according with his opposition to the Divine in the world.
--_Heaven and Hell, n._ 544