The Greek Ietter pi represents the number 80 in ancient Greek. 8 (or the infinity sign) is the shape of the path, and zero is the shape of the loop. The letter “r” is the 18th letter of the alphabet, and Room 18 features as an interesting place on the loop with 0s, 1s, and infinity signs depicted in it. The sun shaft passing through the half circle lights up the handle to door 41 in the next room, Room 1. In Room 1, there is the text “the sun glared at me through the gateway”. M(13) + E(5) = 18. Door 41 leads to the loop and Room 18. The red herring above the gate on the cover might indicate that Door 41 is not on the correct path. But following the light shaft to Room 41 might lead us to some clues about our guide!

For those who are squeamish about converting words into numbers (which includes me) there are notes on the floor of Room 1 that say “GO 17”, the key room to find to get to the center, and nearby in the notes is “HI=“. H(8) + I(9) = 17. So it looks like Manson is encouraging us to look for numerical games like these.

Regarding the number 24, it does not have a significant or explicit role in Inferno. The text is structured around the number 100 (the total cantos in the Divine Comedy), with Inferno containing 34 cantos (1 introductory + 33 for the journey). Numerical symbolism is prevalent, especially 3 (reflecting the Trinity) and 9 (as 3×3), but 24 does not appear as a notable number in the structure.

“They should call me Cerberus… I am the lesson” is a reference to Hercules’ 12th labour/trial; to capture Cerberus.

“The monstrous walls run up and far away as far as the eye can see, circling and dividing. Which half is the Maze?”
“Circling and diving” and “which half” are talking about the 12 segments of the semi circle above the pi.
The segments are “monstrous” because there are 12 of them like Cerebeus’ lesson number mentioned just before this.
“Rise up and run far away as far as the eye can see”: the semi circle is a C-like arc on the very top of an i shaped hole and it runs off the page.

Dante’s inferno shows hell having 24 levels. So halving those levels also gives 12 which is segments on the semi circle.
(Theres 1 entry vestibule and 9 circles of hell.
4 circles of upper hell and 5 circles of lower hell.
Lower hell circles have further subdivions: circle 7 has 3 parts, circle 8 has 10, circle 9 has 4. So 24 total levels.)

Sometimes the text just seems to obliquely reference things in the text, just drawing our attention to them in the same way as an arrow or a pointing broom or something in the room might do. In that respect, maybe “circling and dividing” is just a means of saying, “hey, look at that bifurcated circle.”

“Rise” and “run” have no such obvious referent in the image, but certainly evoke the mathematical components of slope. No clue why. Maybe it’s just alliterative phrasing, occuring in proximity to mathematical terms without intention, or maybe we just don’t get it.

As stated in room 17 (just previous to the center). “If you think the maze as a machine, confusion was its product, and it was hard at work”.

On and next to the Pi product operator there are often terms. In “the maze” the terms are a red herring, “the next page” and an umbrella. Of course, none of them have mathematical sense.

I prefer Aria’s version of Pi*r pointing to half circle than this nonsense product pi notation leading to confusion and room 17.

But that is up to you.

“The monstrous walls rise up and run away as far as the human eye can see, circling and dividing.” -> What are the monstruos walls I wondered? Walls normally dont run, dont circle, dont divide.

The monstruos walls are the pages. When the eye has seen them, they rise up and divide the book in halves. Then run away (back) describing half a circle.

This idea relates to the [pi * r] theory that Aria stated, pointing to the half circle movement of a turning page.

Some metaphorical ideas: Maybe turning a page casts light (knowledge) in the process. The guide hates that. And the keystone which is the highest/middle point in an arc is the key for something.

“Which half is the maze?” -> Probably refering to text and picture as the two halves of a wall. Not useful either as obviously both halves are the maze.

Why not πr³? That is not a standard formula. The more familiar ones involve the area of a circle (πr²) or a semicircle (πr or ½πr²). In this context, πr² feels more appropriate.

You’re right that there is a strong theme of halves throughout the text and rooms, but I would argue there is also a recurring theme of full circles or cycles in the Maze. That is why the area of a full circle, πr², makes sense to me, especially as it leads into Room 1.

I also believe that the clues in each room do not point to just one direction, whether correct or not. Often, they refer to the room just left as well. In Room 1, for example, there are technically two correct doors: Rooms 20 and 26. These represent both the beginning and the end of the path, completing a cycle.

This idea of cycles supports the use of πr², and the light forming a half-circle on the incorrect doors also fits this theme.

I’ll see you.