When reporters asked Monroe if she felt guilty about Gable 's death , she refused to answer . Journalist Sidney Skolsky recalled that in private Monroe said she felt regret for her poor treatment of Gable during filming and described her as being in `` a dark pit of despair . '' When reporters asked Monroe if she felt guilty about Gable 's death , she refused to answer , but the journalist Sidney Skolsky recalled that privately she expressed regret for her poor treatment of Gable during filming and described her as being in `` a dark pit of despair '' .