Who is Tom and Mary Talbot from Cannery Row and what is their importance?

Mary is a lovely, graceful woman, red-haired, golden-skinned, green-eyed, and triangular-faced. Her great passion is organizing parties for any occasion. Husband Tom, a freelance writer and cartoonist, is depressed that they are scraping bottom financially. Mary knows he will be a success some day and works hard to keep his spirits up. Afternoons, Mary hosts tea parties for the neighborhood cats. One month, when bills are unpaid and rejections come in, Mary decides to cheer Tom with a tea party. She invites Kitty Randolph but finds Kitty Casini tormenting a mouse. Rescuing his wife relieves Tom's depression. When Mary gives a pregnancy party, people muse about what fun her kid is going to have.