Framing is a strategy in which a spy deceives the sniper into becoming suspicious of an NPC. A successful frame can coerce the sniper into tunneling on the framed NPC, or even outright shooting them. Even if it just earns the NPC a highlight, it will increase the sniper's suspect count, which is beneficial to the spy.
An example: Both the Contact Double Agent and Seduce Target missions are available. The spy enters a conversation circle with the seduction target. The spy then utters "banana bread" (real or fake), followed by a quick red flirt action test. This will cause the seduction target to immediately leave the conversation circle, effectively causing them to simulate a "banana split" (the spy leaving a conversation circle immediately after contacting the double agent in an attempt at getting a lowlight). This will cause many snipers to become suspicious of the seduction target. It can even be enough to get them shot, particularly if they were already highlighted.
Framing can be especially powerful if the guest in question has already accumulated suspicion through a hard tell, such as a green purloin or green statue swap. In this case, the sniper might just seek a reason to shoot the suspicious guest, and more often than not, a well-timed "banana bread" during the guest's talk animation will push them over the edge.