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Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who keep the community's cycle of hatred alive. The creature finds easy targets on kids from fractured homes — children who frequently grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The cause he is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the beginning. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, 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 Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with his father surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt environment got to him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it began years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of Derry.