diff --git a/cassandra/cluster.py b/cassandra/cluster.py
index 468a0030..b2294017 100644
--- a/cassandra/cluster.py
+++ b/cassandra/cluster.py
@@ -478,6 +478,9 @@ class Cluster(object):
         self.sockopts = sockopts
         self.max_schema_agreement_wait = max_schema_agreement_wait
 
+        # let Session objects be GC'ed (and shutdown) when the user no longer
+        # holds a reference. Normally the cycle detector would handle this,
+        # but implementing __del__ prevents that.
         self.sessions = weakref.WeakSet()
         self.metadata = Metadata(self)
         self.control_connection = None
@@ -697,6 +700,8 @@ class ControlConnection(object):
     _time = time
 
     def __init__(self, cluster):
+        # use a weak reference to allow the Cluster instance to be GC'ed (and
+        # shutdown) since implementing __del__ disables the cycle detector
         self._cluster = weakref.proxy(cluster)
         self._balancing_policy = RoundRobinPolicy()
         self._balancing_policy.populate(cluster, cluster.metadata.all_hosts())
diff --git a/cassandra/metadata.py b/cassandra/metadata.py
index bb00751a..798193a6 100644
--- a/cassandra/metadata.py
+++ b/cassandra/metadata.py
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ unreserved_keywords = set((
 class Metadata(object):
 
     def __init__(self, cluster):
+        # use a weak reference so that the Cluster object can be GC'ed.
+        # Normally the cycle detector would handle this, but implementing
+        # __del__ disables that.
         self.cluster_ref = weakref.ref(cluster)
         self.cluster_name = None
         self.keyspaces = {}
diff --git a/cassandra/pool.py b/cassandra/pool.py
index 22d9de60..c4b95f91 100644
--- a/cassandra/pool.py
+++ b/cassandra/pool.py
@@ -173,6 +173,9 @@ class HealthMonitor(object):
     def __init__(self, conviction_policy):
         self._conviction_policy = conviction_policy
         self._host = conviction_policy.host
+        # self._listeners will hold, among other things, references to
+        # Cluster objects.  To allow those to be GC'ed (and shutdown) even
+        # though we've implemented __del__, use weak references.
         self._listeners = weakref.WeakSet()
         self._lock = RLock()