use of ls -a code example

Example: ls -l

0 success
1 minor problems  (e.g., failure to access a file or directory not
  specified as a command line argument.  This happens when listing a
  directory in which entries are actively being removed or renamed.)
2 serious trouble (e.g., memory exhausted, invalid option, failure
  to access a file or directory specified as a command line argument
  or a directory loop)