There’s a lot going on in this scene. First of all, it’s revealed that Marianne’s late father was physically abusive. Given that her brother, Alan, forcefully grabbed her wrist not long ago, it seems likely that Marianne
still deals with physical abuse, which makes the incident with the drunk man at the bar much more emotionally fraught, since it builds on a very unpleasant aspect of her life. Perhaps because he’s overwhelmed by what Marianne has just told him, Connell can’t hold back his feelings and says that he loves her. Although he claims that he’s not just saying this to please her, the timing
does seem strange, as if he wants to say anything he can to make her feel better; and, to be fair, it
does make her feel better. She even feels like this moment is when her life truly begins, underscoring the extent to which she is invested in her relationship with Connell—she cares so much about him that, although she suspects she’s unlovable, the mere idea of him loving her feels like a life-changing event.