The world is made up of signs! They're the stuff that give people their particular perception of reality. Whatever's actually out there manifests as phenomena and it's these to which we assign meanings. We believe we see but we see what we think we know. See anything and it has a meaning to someone - or not. If not then if it holds some importance they assign a meaning. Sometimes that meaning is biased by an expectation....a hope....

It's what semiotics is all about.