The discussion revolves around issues in a Fortran program involving function and subroutine usage. The initial code attempts to call a function as if it were a subroutine, leading to confusion and errors. Key points include the incorrect use of the `call` statement for a function, which should be directly assigned to a variable. The function definition also contains a critical error where an expression is written instead of an assignment statement, which is a common mistake for those unfamiliar with Fortran syntax. Participants suggest removing the unnecessary `call` statement and emphasize the importance of understanding the distinction between functions and subroutines. They recommend studying Fortran basics to avoid such errors in the future. The conversation highlights the need for proper syntax and understanding of programming concepts to successfully compile and run Fortran code.