^^ ... and that disconnection is sourced in your lack of waking-life self-awareness.

Yes, Elliott, that you failed to take heed of your DC's' hints and remember that you were dreaming lies in the fact that you did not have any self-awareness present in those dreams. There's not much you can do about this, if you haven't done the day work necessary to either build your receptiveness to self-awareness or to prepare your self to remember in a MILD sort of way. The examples you gave show the kick in the pants our unconscious can give us when we really want to LD, but forget (or haven't yet finished) to do the work.

So take these dreams as a sign that you are pointed in the right direction, and continue your daywork (i.e., MILD exercises, building self-awareness, or generating expectations), and eventually when a DC tells you that you are dreaming you will know what to do with the suggestion.