Psychologists use the term "Stockholm syndrome" to describe a situation in which people defend their captors. In "Bloodchild," the relationship between the Tlic and humans is complex. The Tlic build relationships with the human family chosen to incubate the alien offspring. The birthing process is gruesome: The young Tlic (as worms) are harvested from a human host, who is cut open. If not all of the worms are removed, the human will die. As recompense, the Tlic are able to reduce the pain of the "birthing" and offer sterile eggs that slow the aging process in humans. In the face of this injustice, the humans still find a way to defend their alien captors.
The protagonist of the story is Gan, a teenage boy who is old enough to become a host for the Tlic who has been living in his home for years, T'Gatoi. Gan does not want to become a host and doesn't want someone else making decisions about his body. He carefully considers his options: He could flee like his brother Qui; he could commit suicide; he could kill T'Gatoi; or he could simply refuse T'Gatoi's request.
At first, Gan chooses suicide. He does not want to be "harvested" for Tlic grubs when they grow inside him. He changes his mind after a conversation with T'Gatoi. She tells him that if he refuses, she will simply implant her eggs into his younger sister. Not wanting his sister to suffer, Gan chooses to become the host for T'Gatoi.
The main question of this story is: If self-preservation depends on the suffering of others, does that make their suffering justifiable? Most of the characters in the story are resigned to their fates, but Gan makes a conscious decision to protect his younger sister. T'Gatoi pretends to have a deep relationship with the family, but in reality she just wants a host for her children. Gan is able to transcend his situation when he consciously accepts suffering to alleviate the suffering of others. Thus, we see that the humans are a higher life form than the Tlic.