Canto I- Canto V

He answered, "Those are things you will discover

When we have paused at Acheron's dismal shore,"
I walked on with my head down after that
Fearful I had displeased him, and spoke no more

Then, at the river--an old man n a boat:
White-haired, as he drew closer shouting at us,
"Woe to you, wicked souls! Give up the thought

Of Heaven! I come to ferry you across
Into eternal darkness on the opposite side,
Into fire and ice! And you there--leave this place,

You living soul, stand clear of these who are dead!"
And then when he saw that I did not obey:
"By other ports, in a lighter boat," he said,

"You will be brought to shore by another way."
My master spoke then, "Charon, do not rage:
Thus it is willed where everything may be

Simply if it is willed. Therefore, oblige,
And ask no more." That silenced the grizzled jaws
Of the gray ferryman of the livid marsh,

Who had red wells of flame about his eyes.
But at his words the forlorn and naked souls were changing color, cursing the human race,

God and their parents. Teeth chattering in their skulls,
They called curses on the seed, the place, the hour
Of their own begetting and their birth. With wails

And tears they gathered on the evil shore
That waits for all who don't fear God. There demon
Charon beckons them, with his eyes of fire;

Crowded in a herd, they obey if he should summon,
And he strikes at any laggard's with his oar.
As he leaves in a quick succession sail down in autumn

Until the bough beholds its entire store
Fallen to the earth, so Adam's evil seed
Swoop from the bank when each is called, as sure

As a trained falcon to cross to the other side
Of the dark water; and before one throng can land
On the far shore, on this side new souls crowd.

Everyone is governed by something. Even those who are literally dead and would have nothing to live for (if they were living) are governed by the old man in the boat and his oar. Although the reasons for which the dead souls are able to be uniformly governed are unclear, Dante is especially docile for very specific reasons: he is scared almost to death and he realizes the magnitude of his vulnerability in that he is surrounded by things that are so grossly unfamiliar to him.

The dead souls, on the other hand, are utterly familiar with and seemingly used to the occurrences. So, maybe their cooperation can be attributed to passivity... they know they're essentially doomed... for all of eternity Then again, maybe they're not passive at all. Maybe "the goad of Divine Justice" does actually push them along--they know what their actions has caused them to deserve. Therefore, they won't stop until they've paid the price.