וְאַנְשֵׁ֣י סְדֹ֔ם רָעִ֖ים וְחַטָּאִ֑ים לַיהֹוָ֖ה מְאֹֽד׃
The people of Sedom were wicked and licentious; against God exceedingly.
RSRH comments that the verse makes a distinction between two categories of sin.
Regarding communal life (בין אדם לחברו) the evil is kept within limits. People are afraid of one another; hence, due to degenerate self interest, they kept the evil withing limits. Even among thieves, there is a certain amount of honesty to one another.
Not so matters of morality of the spirit (מצוות בין אדם למקום). People think these have no bearing on society. Everyone deludes himself into believing that harms only himself and his own welfare, for which he is responsible only to Heaven – were he to have any fear of Heaven. Thus, in מצוות בין אדם למקום, unbridled licentiousness exceeds all bounds.
Beraishis 13:13
pages 318-319
