In canto 4, Dante shows concern for Virgil. He's worried that the journey into hell must be making him too tired to go on farther, but Virgil explains this away by saying he isn't stressed out by the tour itself so much as by the frightening vibes of hell.

In canto 5, we see the lustful being punished in the Second Circle of Hell. They are thrown about in a violent whirlwind with no relief. The violence of the wind is symbolic of the throes of passion which inspired them to give in to their sexual desires no matter who they hurt in the process.

At this early point, Dante pities the damned souls here, particularly after hearing the story of the adulterous lovers Paolo and Francesca. He sees them as victims, but by the logic of the poem and Dante's conception of sin, they authored their own misery. The whirlwind only represents what was already inside of them before their deaths.