Parable or not, it is at the very least an illustration. which tells that there is a hell and that there are people there. As far as who should be there and if someone ever had a chance, I believe God is a fair and just God and as I trust in his Son for my eternal salvation I also trust that He knows what he is doing. If my God is not a fair and just God then how could I ever be able to trust in Him at all. In your questions you say the list can go on and on, I agree. But the Bible as far as I know (and I said I would have to do a study on hell) does not answer all of those questions. I will say in the "illustration" that Abraham was in heaven which was before Jesus came so obviously there will be people in heaven that lived before Jesus died on the Cross. Therefor I will say it again I trust that God is a fair and just God and I do believe that He knows exactly what He is doing. I can not answer a question if I do not know exactly what the scripture says about it. And when I do a study on it which I will do, I will share what I learn. until then my faith in God remains the same, UNSHAKEN.