They certainly were! There's a lot of people going through hard times right now... the scenery and circumstances are just different.
Joe was a real bastard and he beat her. No attempts to lionize him will overcome that fact. Arthur Miller was the husband who treated her properly.
Inside Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio's Roller Coaster Romance - Biography DiMaggio reportedly wanted a stay at home wife. Monroe wanted to expand her cultural horizons with a husband who was interested in her work. The new groom also struggled with his wife’s image. While filming The Seven Year Itch in New York, DiMaggio was disgusted with the now-famous subway grate scene. According to Monroe he said, “… exposing my legs and thighs, even my crotch — that was the last straw.” A visibly tearful and upset Monroe publicly announced their divorce nine months after they wed, citing mental cruelty. In a letter written to his wife at the time of the announcement DiMaggio said, “I love you and want to be with you. … There is nothing I would like better than to restore your confidence in me. … My heart split even wider seeing you cry in front of all those people.”