An episode of cannibalism from Dante's Inferno is examined in order to explore the psychodynamics of oral sadism. The “case study” illustrates the libidinal and aggressive aims of the protagonist's oral sadism, especially as a defense against an intolerable feeling of impotence and a maladaptive discharge of destructive aggression. Ultimately the episode reveals that literal cannibalism can be conceived of as the “sin” of destructive narcissism while verbal communion with the Other can be thought of as the “virtue” of object-relatedness.