A picture of hell

[tonychanyt]

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The good King Josiah started a reform in 2 Kings 23:

10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.

Back then, the Valley of Hinnom was infamous for human sacrifice.
Jeremiah 7:

31And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere.

It was an evil unclean place.
Isaiah pronounced judgments against the wicked in 66:

24 They will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.

It was a stark warning to all mankind. Jesus used this vivid image and linked it to Hinnom in Mark 9:

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell <Hebrew: valley of Hinnom>, 48 where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

What do you think the "worm that never dies" in Mk 9:48 means?
The worm represents maggots eating the bodies. It is an imagery device to paint a horrific and ghastly picture of hell. It serves as a warning to all mankind: Avoid this destination at all costs. It is not going to be pretty.
Jesus didn't just stop here. He continued:

50b Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.

Let the Paraclete dwell in you and be at peace in eternal life.