The Gates of Hell state that God created hell because he wanted for men to have the choice between right and wrong but know that, whatever their choice, they will have to suffer the consequences. The Gates say, "I AM THE WAY INTO THE CITY OF WOE/I AM THE WAY TO A FORSAKEN PEOPLE/I AM THE WAY INTO ETERNAL SORROW" (42). The "I" here is referring to God and God is saying that he understands that hell is full of pain, sorrow, and suffering. In fact, he created hell so that it was full of sorrow and that whomever entered it would be forever suffering. Reading only these lines, one would think that no one would ever choose to enter into hell, they would have to be forced or manipulated into thinking that it was greater than it may appear. Many think that God created hell for "payback" to all those whom had done him wrong during life or had turned from him, but this is not true.

The Gates go on to say that hell was created for a divine purpose and for the good of mankind. It states, "SACRED JUSTICE MOVED MY ARCHITECT/I WAS RAISED HERE BY DIVINE OMNIPOTENCE/PRIMORDIAL LOVE AND ULTIMATE INTELLECT" (42). As God says this he shows that he created hell out of love and that he did it because he is all-knowing. When God says that he was "raised here by divine omnipotence, primordial love and ultimate intellect" he is showing that he first did it because he is all-knowing and knows what is best for all. Second, he did it because he loves mankind and wants it to have whatever it wishes, be it bad or good. Lastly, "ultimate intellect" is often used to describe faith. Therefore, he created hell having faith that few would choose hell while many would choose heaven.

Dante goes on to ask Virgil what the inscription means and Virgil gives him a rather simplistic yet truthful answer. But the real answer as to why people would ever choose to enter into hell lies in Dante's view. He goes on to say, "...With a gentle and encouraging smile/he led me through the gate of mystery" (42). As Dante says "the gate of mystery" he shows why men would ever want to enter through it. Men crave what they don't know. Even if they know that there may be bad or evil behind it, they have a desire to see for themselves. Men love to see how far they can go but many end up falling. The Gates symbolize the line that can't be crossed, but once you cross the line there is no going back. The Gates symbolize the mystery of testing the line and seeing just how far is too far. That is why anyone would wish to enter into hell. Although men have been plenty warned, they still choose to test the line and to see how far is too far.