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The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who keep the community's cycle of animosity alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from broken households — youngsters who frequently grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, especially when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. The ability, alongside his failure to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is one of the only individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the group of kids at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason Will is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who originate in the town, with relationships that have decayed within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt environment got to him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it began years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the malice of the community, instigated by Pennywise, It eventually gets the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy seems resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and provides an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.