Marilyn refers to a niece, the first indication in the series that she is not an only child.
Chris rambles on about Eros love, "the bonding of hearts and glands, like Tristan and Isolde, Abelard and Heloise, Bernard and Ann". Bear in mind: Tristan and Isolde was a tale of adulterous lovers, the betrayal of a king and the execution of both lovers; Abelard and Heloise was a tale of illicit love, Heloise fleeing death and being made (against her will) a nun, and Abelard getting castrated and becoming a monk.