I'm going to hell for sure, so I might as well question everything?

[Doubting Thomas]

And why are they praying for dead people? I suppose they're only praying for the ones in hell or purgatory? In that case, don't you think they should be kinda praying for themselves, and the people with whom they're suffering?

It's a Catholic belief that the more people here on earth pray for someone who recently died, the sooner they can get out of purgatory and get into heaven. I wouldn't think there's any use praying for the souls in hell, though, since they are damned after all.

I've heard of praying to saints, but I've never heard of praying to just everyday dead people to intercede on your behalf. I think this is one valid criticism of Catholicism that Protestants have, that (assuming all Christian mythology is true) that you'd need to pray to Mary or some other saint instead of going straight to the big man himself. If God is supposed to be all-powerful, he'd be able to listen to every single person on earth praying to him simultaneously, so asking Mary to ask God for something seems pretty ridiculous.