When it comes to the Devil, this card is quite controversial, as it represents something that wasn't allowed (or meant) to be explored deeper during the (Christianized) renaissance when the Tarot cards blew up.
In this image, we often see Baphomet (not the actual Devil, by Christianized standards and lore) who is, apart from being an androgynous being, also half human, half goat, so a chimaera of sorts.
We also see (2 out of 3) participants from the Lovers card. Only, in this card, their union is not blessed by an angel, but by the "devil". The man and the woman, now exiled from Eden and with chains around their necks, are tied to the post that hoists Baphomet up. And he is overseeing their enslavement by enacting the same pose as the Magus from the Magician card does - relaying the cosmic law of "as above so below".
The trick here is, that in some interpretations of this card, the Lovers' chains are actually not sealed, but open (similar to how the 8 of Swords card figure has almost untied hands to do as she will), this implies that the Lovers are actually tied to the Baphomet post by their own free will.
We should note that the Lovers are endowed with free will in both cards - in both the Lovers, under the 'angelic' union, and in the Devil, under Baphomet's rein.
There's another important detail to note, in earlier, less affected by Christian/Church dogma, Tarot depictions of the Lovers always had 3 figures, implying that three participants were active in the union of love, a Menage of Trois. The Lovers is also a Gemini card, and if there's something very symbolic to Gemini Venus placement is that its natives are 8/10 times polyamorous rather than monogamous.
So we come to the point where we can interpret the Lovers as a happy and jealous-free union of three or more people in a love relationship, whereas the Devil can be interpreted as an attempt at a non-monogamous love relationship, but instead of based on love, trust and mature participation, it is quite Plutonic in nature.
There is a reason why Scorpio Venus placement is not quite made for polyamorous entanglements. Wherever Pluto rules, he does so with a tight grip and fatalistic implications. Pluto is the undertone of the Devil card, and no, not because Pluto is a Roman deity of the Underworld, but because both the Christinazied Devil and Pluto (Hades) have something very true in common - they are loyal, possessive and obsessive in their emotional displays.
So you see, the Devil is not a card about two people being thrown and tied in hell for their sins in life, but rather a card depicting a living hell for two people who are slaves to their own lizard brain/instinctual nature that didn't get the space nor, perhaps, the necessary time to develop to a higher sphere of being.
As for the Baphomet, I always view him as a better teacher than some holier-than-thou angelic being or guru, because he teaches from the human perspective, his lessons are Plutonic, thus raw and visceral in nature, rather than preachy and abstract.
People, especially lovers, who find themselves under the influence of this card, come together to overcome some karmic dues, level up and learn essential soul lessons that we enter this human suit in the first place.
Everyone is glad to see the Lovers in a reading, especially if it's a love reading, however, when the Devil pops up, you get to see a more visceral, animalistic side of a quantum entanglement whose effects take place in the material world.
We get to witness the true power of love, one that consumes, eats and burns us whole. One that is closer to the Dragonfire than the bliss promised by the eternal love of two simple people who don't know themselves enough, let alone each other.
This is not to say that Lovers are not a good thing when they pop up, it's just that they are more of an innocent depiction of love, one that can be found in happy-ever-afters and Disneyfied fairytale realms.
The Devil is the love that you find in gothic literature, horror stories and myths that stick with you until the end.
Not to mention that the mythological basis of the Devil card is Lucifer, who is none other than Samael - the Angel of Death, husband of Lilith and "archenemy" of Michael.
And why is he the archenemy of Michael? Because he is the destroyer of sinners. He is said to be the accuser, the adversary and the seducer. However, he remains one of the Archangels and does the duties assigned to him by none other than, yep you guessed it - Yehowa.
Samael is a member of the heavenly host, and although he is an angel of death (a role feared predominantly by mortals), he does his assigned job diligently, and he remains God's servant.
For some reason, he is considered a guardian angel and prince of Rome, which makes him an adversary of Jerusalem, thus Michale by concession. So you see, this opposition, this conflict between him and Michael is nothing more than a political construct for two opposing, human, forces to try and justify their horrid means and acts in the battle of supremacy and rulership.
This takes us back to the 'original problem' aka the 'great divide'. There is no "good and evil", "dark and light", or "black and white", it's all just a human-level-perception illusion that reflects our own inner warring nature.
So when the Devil comes up in a reading, rather than shying away and scurrying off in a random direction, the better message and lesson is to face your inner self first and foremost, and then continue from there and see where the crooked road takes you, for sure as hell won't be a lecherous boss or a toxic partner that is too jealous of your short skirt/grey sweatpants.
The Devil is in all of us, and no, it's not a metaphor for the bloody two wolves, it's a direct reflection of our Moon, our innermost, hidden nature that some of us don't hide at all, and others try damn well.
One who is aware of their own Baphomet, of their own demon that runs the show on the inside, is aware that impulse and choice are two separate things and although impulse can be omnipresent, he in no way affects our choice. That is what separates us from dogs (for example), dogs are loving, loyal and kind beings, but their nature is to bark and try to get into a fight with another dog on the street when they perceive it as a threat to their dominance/territory.
Humans might suffer the same impulses and even the same strength of the impulse, however, it is in our power to not act on those impulses and to always put ratio when making choices.
Now, coming to the place/level from which you can make conscious rather than unconscious choices is a tricky path. A whole other story and path on the Tree of Life gnosis.
Welcome to the mysteries of Tarot - a guide to the human psyche first and foremost, and then a divinatory tool to see if your ex is cheating on you with your best friend.