It's a question that usually can't be answered back to, a good example being any time you see a question being asked in a news article.
Difference Engine
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Douglass is not sad to leave the plantation, as he has no family ties or sense of home, like children usually have. He also feels he has nothing to lose, because even if his new home in Baltimore is full of hardship, it can be no worse than the hardships he has already seen and endured on the plantation.
Answer:
It means rude or aggressive behavior
