I agree, the message is the same. But we can not seek information about the afterlife from it.
If it was a parable, then what do you think Jesus was teaching there? Why would Jesus want to give the impression that people experience torment in hell if that is not actually the case? Would Jesus really want to confuse people like that? If a rich man experiencing torment in hell is a made up story, then what does it represent in reality?
If you look at Jesus's parables, they always refer to real things that are used to figuratively represent other things in reality such as "a farmer, seed, birds, rocky places, soil, plants, thorns, the farmer's field, weeds (tares), wheat, the field owner, the field owner's enemy, the field owner's servants, the harvest, harvesters, treasure, a field, a merchant, fine pearls, a mustard seed, garden plants, a tree, a tree's branches, bread yeast, flour, a woman, a fishing net, a lake (or sea), fish (or sea creatures), and fishermen. Those are all from Jesus's parables in Matthew 13.
So, why, in Luke 16:19-31, would Jesus tell a parable that did not refer to real people and real things used to figuratively represent other things in reality like He did in all of His parables? Why do you try to claim that Abraham's bosom and hell/hades don't represent real places? Would you try to say that there's no such thing as a farmer's field or gardener's field or rocky places like He referenced in other parables? Of course not. So, why do you try to claim that Abraham's bosom and hell/hades are not real places when Jesus only referred to real types of people and real places and things in His parables that He used to figuratively represent other real people, places and things?
Why do you try to claim that Lazarus and the rich man aren't real people when Jesus only referred to real people in His parable like a farmer, a field owner, a merchant and a woman? Why would He give a name to a fictional person in a parable? Why would He only do that in one of His parables? Why would He specify how many brothers the rich man had if the rich man wasn't a real person? What significance does that kind of detail give to a parable? None. But, if it's a real person then it does have significance to include that detail.
Jesus NEVER referred to fictional things in His parables that don't exist in reality. Such as the list of things I showed above from His parables in Matthew 13. So, why would Luke 16:19-31 be an exception to that if it was a parable?