I think that we have trouble understanding the afterlife simply because we have trouble comprehending things outside of time and space and three dimensions. So, one thing that is for sure is that we wont fully understand exactly what happens.
That said, in Christ we have "Eternal Life." I think that Eternal life INCLUDES what type of life we have and not just the length the of the life that we have. I think that because it says that the people going to hell also get to live forever, but they'll be doing that in hell--because they DO NOT HAVE ETERNAL life. So, the Eternal is a quality and a type of living life, above and beyond just the length of it. And that Bible some how tells that ANYWHERE apart from God is hell. So, even though it hasn't been judgement day YET according to our time and space I'm sure that there are many people who when they die have no desire to be with God because they don't know Him. Their afterlife right now must be a living hell. And this isn't scriptural, but it makes sense that they feel really guilty after just having their whole life flashed before their eyes, they know everything they've ever done wrong. And so the person feeling guilty needs to either remember that Christ died for his or her sins and go with God, or wander around lost. Whether or not a person remembers that Christ died for their sins must make the difference, or at least a person knows God so well that he seeks Him out immediately after death. And that's why its so dangerous to be a legalist that adheres to rules and thinks that they will become God's by following rules. They never really find out about God. all they know about is rules. And since they're so focused on rules, Christ's death doesn't mean that much to them. They might think they know God, but God never knew them.
One thing that we do know is that after Jesus' death on the cross, He DESCENDED into heaven, and when He arose, he told Mary that He hadn't yet been back to the Father. So, we know for sure that there are places without the Father. Then He Assended into heaven to be with the Father. So, where was He for the 3 Days before He went back to the father?

So, I don't think it's a parable. I don't know if it's the same Lazurous or not, but I don't think its a parable.