The Terran’s are victims of the Tlic culture which forces them to participate in the Tlic reproductive cycle, whether or not they wish to do so – every family must give at least one child for reproduction. In much the same way, slave masters would coerce female slaves into sexual submission by threatening loved ones, revoking offers of freedom or privilege, or resorting to violence and force of will. Though Gan claims that the Terrans remain an independent people, a brief look from the outside perspective of the reader reveals this to be obviously false. Humans are not allowed to journey outside the Preserve unless they are brought out with a Tlic. They are not allowed to have firearms or motor vehicles, ostensibly for their own protection. They have no freedom of choice even within their own captivity – the Tlic choose them rather than the other way around, with a rare exception in the case of Lien and T’Gatoi; even in this exception T’Gatoi maintained control by choosing Gan instead of Xuan Hoa.

From outside the narrative, it further appears quite clear that the humans are being manipulated into complacency so that the Tlic may ensure their own successful reproduction. This manipulation goes as far as forced intoxication through the narcotic effects caused by drinking sterile Tlic eggs, which the Tlic give to the Terrans on a regular basis. Not only do these eggs placate the humans by giving them an escape from everyday life, they also tie the humans closer to their Tlic masters who are the only source of the eggs. Furthermore, feeding the Terrans these eggs also prolongs their life, allowing them to carry more than one or two broods of eggs for the Tlic. What could appear as an act of goodwill, the gift of an egg, is actually another deception that further condemns the Terrans to enslavement.

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