Accurate!

She lived with her aunt and she saw her mother and everything.

Grace McKee (later Goddard) was not Marilyn's aunt; she was her mother Gladys' best friend. After Gladys was institutionalized when Marilyn was 7, Grace became her legal guardian though Marilyn didn't always live with her. When Marilyn was 9, Grace married Doc Goddard, and Marilyn was sent to the Los Angeles Orphans Home, where she lived for nearly two years.

Afterward, Marilyn returned to the Goddard's, but this arrangement did not last long for whatever reason (some biographers claim a drunk Doc tried to fondle 11-year-old Marilyn), so Grace sent Marilyn to live with Olive Brunings Monroe, the wife of Marion Monroe, Glady's brother and Marilyn's uncle. (Marion had gone missing in 1929 and was finally declared dead ten years later.) Also, at the residence were Olive and Marion's three children, Olive's mother, and grandmother. This was a brief stint, because a flood displaced the family, and Marilyn was then moved in briefly with Grace's reluctant brother, Bryan Atchinson, and his wife, Lottie.

Finally, after a few months, Marilyn was sent to live with Grace's elderly aunt, Ana Lower. Marilyn would later speak fondly of 'Aunt' Ana and stated that it was the first time she felt truly loved. But when Marilyn was 15, Ana developed serious health problems, and Marilyn moved back in with the Goddards. Shortly after, Doc received a lucrative job offer and the Goddards relocated to Virginia. Although it was never explained why, they decided not to take Marilyn with them. Two weeks after her 16th birthday, Marilyn wed 21-year-old Jim Dougherty, a marriage Grace had arranged before she left. Later, Marilyn had some resentment toward Grace for deserting her and for forcing her into an arranged marriage.

Incidentally, the movie depicts Grace as being at the wedding, but the Goddards had already moved cross country to Virginia. Only the Boldenders (her foster parents for the first 7 years of her life) and 'Aunt' Ana attended the wedding on Marilyn's behalf; in fact, 'Aunt' Ana made her wedding gown and gave her away.

Anyway, the point of my post is to say that Marilyn had almost no immediate family growing up. Later, she learned of an older half sister Berniece Miracle (Gladys' daughter from a previous marriage), but they didn't meet until Marilyn was an adult. Though Marilyn did see her mother on occasion growing up (she even lived with her for a few months around age 7), they had almost no relationship, and after Marilyn hit it big in Hollywood, she stopped visiting her though she did continue to provide for her and left her a trust in her will.

So even though the amount of foster homes Marilyn lived in has been grossly exaggerated, she did not have a permanent home to call her own nor parental figures. Though Grace was her legal guardian, she was more like an 'aunt,' which is what Marilyn called her, Ana Lower, and Ida Boldender. Still, she had several mother-type figures, but it was the lack of a father figure that plagued her. In short, Marilyn had 'daddy issues' and was constantly in search of a 'father' all her life.

Also, the instability and uncertainty of not having a permanent address nor family no doubt contributed to Marilyn's insecurities. One orphanage report stated: "Sometimes she seems anxious and then begins to stutter. Norma Jean is also prone to coughing fits and frequent colds... if she's not treated with much patience and constantly reassured, she is prey to panic attacks. I would recommend for her a strong and good family."

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