According to that previously mentioned interview with the designers of the game, this was an oversight on their part. When they were creating the game, they had instant access to any area of the game, so the thought never occurred to them to put in a save or password feature. It wasn’t until after the game was finished
Really? I don’t remember it being buggy back then
https://www.retrojunk.com/a/A4Hln2R72v/in-defense-of-festers-quest
that they realized their mistake.