In "Dante's Inferno", why does Virgil speak of "false and lying gods?"

I don't recall
the actual reference but the gods in classical literature can often be seen as false or
unreliable from the human perspective because their messages are enigmatic and misleading,
sometimes little more than riddles. The important lesson appears to be that when humans ask the
gods for information or guidance, they are in danger of hearing what they want to hear and
acting accordingly. Virgil, as I read him, has a strong vein of pessimism in his writing and
Dante's reference may be a reflection of this, a belief that the gods are of little help in
human suffering and distress.