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I interpreted it as returning "success". In a more global context than just the program at hand.

Having read K & R long time ago, and enjoyed the concise book, it is a sad day. All C programs in the world must be returning success today.

It may be concise, but it is incredibly dense. I'm not sure there's a unnecessary word, let alone paragraph.

It definitely rewards persistent study, I've been programming for years, and I still learn something every single time I dip into it.