It means lots of things. You can be free from the government screwing you over, free from big companies screwing you over, free from friends and relatives screwing you over, free from debt, free from fear, free from obligation... Some people might add 'free to', as well. Free to be happy. Free to be secure. Free to pursue an idea or a social position or a material goal. All this stuff counts, and they are all different problems with different solutions and different consequences.