What it means to dream about lice

What the traditional dream book says

The old dream books give lice a surprising reading: money and profit on the way. Plenty of lice means wealth coming, and crushing them is said to promise comfort and a household with enough to go around.

What the dream really reflects

In practice, lice show up when something small and nagging is eating at you. Petty worries, other people's criticism, a shame that itches and won't leave you alone. They point at the uncomfortable thing you've been scratching at far too long. Time to be rid of it.

What changes the reading

The same dream reads differently, and here is what shifts it.

A lot of lice

The small and nagging has multiplied. Worries, shame and other people's remarks, all itching at once and giving you no peace.

Picking off or crushing lice

You're ready to be rid of what's been eating at you. Something in you has run out of patience with it, and that's useful.

Lice on someone else

You're picking up on another person's discomfort, or on gossip that has started sticking to someone close to you.