Sorry to correct you, but did you mean the word "monk"? 

Dreams are always fascinating to me, whether they hold significant meaning or not.  The ones we remember very clearly and vividly are, of course, the most fascinating. 

You said you had this before doing any research into this kind of subject matter, so do you think that maybe this dream came to you as a precognitive type of dream, getting you prepared for something you'd be learning in the future? 

Perhaps the monk in this dream was not actually evil, but was an interpretation of representing something that would test your will and intention?  Its purpose was maybe to give you an experience that would test your indurance or wake you up to the nature of being of service to others, i.e. doing retrievals?  You noticed people being held against their will, perhaps this was a representation of your own will that needed some freeing.  It's just a theory, but might be in line with what this dream means. 

Either way you look at it, I think this kind of dream with so much detail in your memory is definitely trying to tell you something about yourself.  If you are able to "get back there and retrieve these people", it would be at the very least a sort of self-retrieval experience.  Or perhaps a retrieval for others.  It's worth a shot, because in my belief everything is a learning experience.  It is up to us how much we allow ourselves to learn.

good self revealment here Jetman. good comments all around. at first glance you are one of our illusion busters within your spirit.
you don't have to go bust those people out of jail until you feel like doing that, if and when. its just that you are becoming aware of how belief systems can imprison folks and that you are, can be helpful to free others. the people could be like a look at humanity in general. seems like whole groups of folks can exist within prisons of short sightedness, its just the human condition, I don't see anything particularly evil to reflect on in your dream, so not to overreact to the images of the monk.
the monk may be like a doorkeeper symbol, whereby your soul enters new territory but must first get past this monk.
you are probably desiring to do retrievals and getting ready for that. you may soon be doing that. please post if you do! I love new accounts of retrievals.

by way of comparing one of my dream adventures to yours, for understanding;

a friend here I saw as enlisted in the military. he was obligated, according to his sense of responsibility to remain as an enlisted man.
However, the problem was then, in spiritual terms, he was not his own man. He was owned by the military.
this is a lot like real life huh?
the name of the game is to become a free spirit unfettered by limited belief systems, free to fly mentally and explore unlimited thought with an open mind, equally unfettered by such emotions as fear, mistrust, aggression, defensiveness, etc.

since the military is a defensive organization, as well an offensive organization, I could if I wanted, see the military as evil. However, I did not see it as evil, it is just humanity, one of their belief system organizations at this time in human evolvement.

so neither should you be seeing the monk's defensive, and offensive behavior as a threat to you, who know the truth. He plays a role in your own courage making.

love, and again, that was some dream! alysia