I'm in the middle of rereading the novellas in order to read the novel.
I think you're right that human characters, readers, and the author keep feeling, "aw, I just want to give you a hug," and then having to think, "It doesn't want your hug, it wants you to leave it alone." I didn't find it inconsistent, though; I thought it was contrasting the way I feel about Murderbot with the way I think about Murderbot in order to make the point that Murderbot is a person but not the same kind of person I am, so there is translation that has to happen for my feeling of goodwill to come across as an expression of goodwill.
I'll be thinking about your comment during the rest of my reading.
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I think you're right that human characters, readers, and the author keep feeling, "aw, I just want to give you a hug," and then having to think, "It doesn't want your hug, it wants you to leave it alone." I didn't find it inconsistent, though; I thought it was contrasting the way I feel about Murderbot with the way I think about Murderbot in order to make the point that Murderbot is a person but not the same kind of person I am, so there is translation that has to happen for my feeling of goodwill to come across as an expression of goodwill.
I'll be thinking about your comment during the rest of my reading.