 The word "masturbate" was in use when the book was written, and Dickens often used colourful names related to the natures of the characters.The title of Damon Knight's story "To Serve Man" is a double entendre which could mean "to perform a service to humanity" or "to serve a human as food".An alien cookbook with the title "To Serve Man" is featured in the story which could imply that the aliens eat humans.