Hope, dreams, and wishful thinking can be very valuable things. I'd add in fear and peace of mind as being valuable as well.

Religion has no instrinsic value, but it is one of the biggest industries on earth. Disney has built an empire based on fairytales. Why will someone pay a huge premium for a small piece of land sitting on the ocean versus one that is one mile inland? Why will a Picasso sell for exponentially more than a Debevic?