A very interesting study of the psyche here. I knew someone who had a fractured personality and your Scott reminds me a lot of him. He wanted to live in dreams and insisted that others live up to his dream idea of them as well. Alas his dreams were many and often diametrically opposed. There was no pleasing him for long.
It appears both your protagonists are equally lost to the wanderings of their mind. I found myself sympathizing with Marilyn in this chapters. Everyone, including the fellow that opened the door for here, have a very clear and limited idea of who and what she is and should be. She is not truly admired for herself but for how easy she is to transpose upon.
This is a very succinct analysis - yes, men tend to idealize a beautiful female, some believing beauty to be the only thing worth having in a woman, but I think Scott has more depth than this - the cold dark kisses of his dream woman led him to become enthralled with Marilyn, but he's seeing a deeper soul tie, perhaps akin to Catherine and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights - whatever their souls were made of, it was the same stuff
I hear you about your male acquaintance - he seems a narcissistic personality who would definitely impose his dreams upon someone else
As for where Scott and Marilyn are headed...as Albany says to Goneril, "How far your eyes may pierce I cannot tell." She answers, "Well, well; th' event." lol, yes, the outcome...
Yes ... I can see that Scott and Marilyn have a deeper connection ... they appear to be working themselves out on each other. To the fellow I mentioned ... yes some of him was a narcissist, that is for sure. He allowed a study in psyche like no other. I shall have material for decades:) LOL:):):)