The prisoner is read as feeling held back by duty, fear or circumstance. Dream books ask whether the dreamer is the one locked in, or the one keeping someone else there. Being a prisoner yourself is read as feeling trapped in a job, a relationship or an old belief. Visiting a prisoner is taken as concern for someone who seems stuck, or contact with a part of yourself you keep shut away. A prisoner who escapes is read as the wish to break free; one released as relief and a new start. Guarding a prisoner is read as holding something down. It can help to ask what feels like a cell in your days, and who holds the key.
When this appeared in your dream, what were you feeling?
My Cosmic Code has a private dream journal. Write a dream down and the app picks out the symbols in it, shows what dream books say about them and, over time, which words recur across your entries. The journal is stored on your device only.