...he [Van Veen] had almost finished a difficult bit dealing with the divorce between time and the contents of time (such as action on matter, in space, and the nature of space itself) and was contemplating moving to Manhattan (that kind of switch being a reflection of mental rubrication rather than a concession to some farcical 'influence of environment' endorsed by Marx père, the popular author of 'historical' plays)... (Ada, 2.5)

"Marx père, the popular author of 'historical' plays" seems to hint at Shakespeare, the author of history plays.

Three elements, fire, water, and air, destroyed, in that sequence, Marina, Lucette, and Demon. Terra waited. (3.1)

All four elements so important in Ada occur in the Roman formula of banishment of which, according to Marx, Proudhon makes an unaccountable use in "Qu'est-ce que la propriété?":

The Critical Proudhon continues:

"The only remark to be made on this is that with the appropriation of a piece of land the other elements -- air, water and fire -- are also appropriated: terra, aqua, aëre et igne interdicti sumus."

...The Critical Proudhon makes an unaccountable use of the Roman formula of banishment. He forgets to say who the "we" are who have been banished. The real Proudhon addresses the non-property-owners:

"Proletarians... property excommunicates us: terra, etc. interdicti sumus."

(Marx & Engels, "The Holy Family," Chapter Four '“Critical Criticism" as the Tranquillity of Knowledge,' section four "Proudhon," Characterising Translation No. 3)

The first section of the above quoted chapter of "The Holy Family" is entitled "Flora Tristan's Union Ouvrière", the second section (written, like the first one, by Engels), "Béraud on Prostitutes," and the third section, "Love" - all of which bring to mind Eric Veen's floramors in Ada (2.3). The floramors remind one of La Dame aux camélias, a novel and play by Dumas fils.

From Ada's letter to Van: Take the fastest flying machine you can rent straight to El Paso, your Ada will be waiting for you there, waving like mad, and we'll continue, by the New World Express, in a suite I'll obtain, to the burning tip of Patagonia, Captain Grant's Horn, a Villa in Verna, my jewel, my agony. Send me an aerogram with one Russian word - the end of my name and wit. (2.1)

One Russian word badly wanted by Ada is da ("yes"). In the drafts the title of VN's Dar ("The Gift") was one letter shorter: Da. In Chapter Four of Dar Godunov-Cherdyntsev puts into blank verse (in order to be less boring) an excerpt from "The Holy Family":

........ума большого
не надобно, чтобы заметить связь
между ученьем материализма
о прирожденной склонности к добру,
о равенстве способностей людских,
способностей, которые обычно
зовутся умственными, о влияньи
на человека обстоятельств внешних,
о всемогущем опыте, о власти
привычки, воспитанья, о высоком
значении промышленности всей,
о праве нравственном на наслажденье --
и коммунизмом.

...no great intelligence

Is needed to distinguish a connection

Between the teaching of materialism

Regarding inborn tendency to good;

Equality of man's capacities -

Capacities that generally are

Termed mental; the great influence

Exterior circumstances have on man;

Omnipotent experience; sway of habit

And of upbringing; the extreme importance

Of industry; the moral right to pleasure,

And communism.