Pugatory and death?

Is Seligman's apartment purgatory? Joe basically spends the movie there after being lifted broken from the alley encounter. It's the only location they are at while she recounts her whole existence with this stranger. It's there that Seligman objectively critiques that life over the two episodes. This all builds to the moment where she renounces her old self and commits to the premise of celibacy and asexuality. I'd argue that the final twist with Seligman could be seen as a final test of faith. The fade in from black at the introduction to could symbolize her transition from death to purgatory. The shift to black at the close could symbolize her ascension to heaven. I would argue that defending her vow and making the acknowledgement that she would be open to reconnecting with her son were the keys to her salvation.

On a side note, Mr. L(ucifer) is a blatant placeholder for Satan. His preexisting knowledge of her was too complete for some street level schmoe. P became the perfect trojan horse for Mr. L to stage that alleyway reckoning.