paintings
I wonder if the painting that Johnny tries to sell which isn't of the snake in the street is intended to be a rather flattering portrait of Mrs Cross (in which case, presumably she was once willing to sit for the purpose)?
Chris's paintings could plausibly have had greater evident merit, they look pretty amateurish to me - but maybe in context that's as it ought to be, and as we know all sorts of unlikely art can somehow become fashionable and pricey. So far as I can make out, the actual artist, John Decker, was capable of something a bit better and lowered the level for the purposes of the film.
"I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken."