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The clown's influence on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's pattern of hatred alive. It preys most easily on children from fractured homes — youngsters who frequently mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Later, he spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his inability to feel fear, along with the base of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the town from the onset. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who come from the area, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the It novel, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with his father outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt environment got to him first, with the hate group eventually completing the job it started long before. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he points to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of the town.