Brilliant episode and resonating a lot with me. The term 乖 makes me think of another highly influential Chinese term: 孝顺 (xiao shun, Filial piety). The term actually consists of two ideas 孝 (xiao, familial piety) and 顺 (shun, to follow). Most people interpret this term as filial piety involving the children having to follow the wishes of their parents (顺从则为孝也) though other interpretations also exist.