Negative attitude
Few (for countable nouns) and little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a negative way. They may actually indicate a total lack of the noun, but are more polite than saying so directly.
Examples
Few people visited him in hospital. = he had almost no visitors, or perhaps no visitors at all.
I've seen few birds around here. = there are almost no birds, or perhaps not a single bird
He had little money for treats. = almost no money, or perhaps no money at all
I have little time for TV = almost no time, or perhaps no time at all