What does it mean when people ask "what does it mean when" questions?

For instance: (And these are examples—they are not this question)

“What does it mean when you dream that the person you like rescues you?”

“What does it mean when a girl walks behind you but doesn’t speak to you?”

“What does it mean when your fortune cookie is empty?”

and the eternal classic

“What does it mean when a guy you met once at a party keeps sending you cake…?”

I think it means that some people must believe there’s a secret language or code that somehow explains everything, and that everybody else is in on it except them. I’m not sure this is very different from trying to interpret tea leaves, sheep’s entrails, or the rise of a flock of birds.

It’s especially peculiar when the only way to get an answer is for the questioner to ask the person whose own actions they’re trying to interpret, but the questioner comes here and asks strangers instead.

What do you think it means?