In college, I rented a room in a house owned by my friend's parents. It was an investment property, by virtue of taking advantage of the bubble to raise the value of the property. Money otherwise spent on rent while in school went to mortgage payments and my friend helped maintain upkeep of the property. I rented the room for less than market and my friend obviously paid nothing.
Was I resentful? No. It was a reasonable arrangement between me and his parents. I got cheaper rent, they got peace of mind with a known, stable, tenant and the discount reflected the relationship. Would I have willingly paid market price? Yes, and I would not be resentful either. I needed a place to stay and paying my friend's parents is no different than paying a landlord. I would even have been willing to pay a bit more than I normally budget just for the security and peace that comes with rooming with a friend.
I don't see a special case in your aunt leasing the unit to you at a reduced rate. Part of the discount comes from a general sense o helping family members, the other part comes from you helping her with chores/errands.
Now, adding your friend as a tenant, even as a sublease, does not involve any of the above. Therefore, what happens with rent is between him and the landlord (your aunt).
In conclusion:
On the one hand, charging a friend rent is not unethical in and by itself.
On the other hand, subletting without the landlord's consent is unethical and more than likely illegal.
Raise the question with your aunt about subletting to your friend. Let them deal with it since it's their business and theirs alone.
If she gives him a discount on account of your relationship and he agrees to it, she gets more rent money, your friend gets a roof overhead, and you acquire a better living arrangement. All parties involved are better for it.
If she refuses due to principle, legality, or whatever, you can not reasonably expect resentment from your friend and you do not incur liability for illegally subleasing.
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