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Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's pattern of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured households — children who often mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when the entity starts haunting his child, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, especially the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the household sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we understand the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with his father surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten town affected him initially, with the hate group ultimately finishing the task it began years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the malice of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually achieves the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy changes so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy appears bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. However, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and provides an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of Derry.