But imagine if our C/C++/Java/Rust/Go/etc. compilers were like "syntax error, but ehhhhh you probably meant to put a closing brace there, so let's just pretend

But imagine if our C/C++/Java/Rust/Go/etc. compilers were like "syntax error, but ehhhhh you probably meant to put a closing brace there, so let's just pretend you did". That would be a nightmare of bugs and security issues. That's how Perl ended up the way it is.