Who is Mel and Lucille Feynman from Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and what is their importance?

Mel and Lucille Feynman are Feynman's parents. They appear to have encouraged his curious nature from a very early age, and Feynman credits his parents with much of his success later in life. The fact that both of the Feynman children grow up to become distinguished physicists indicates they were reared in an environment favorable to developing scientific reasoning skills.