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The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who keep the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, especially when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the town, especially the father, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, alongside his failure to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is part of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household feeling something is off about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the 2017 film, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with his father outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the shy youth, once he grew up, leaned into drink to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him initially, with the KKK ultimately completing the task it began years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end gets the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe 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 initial sequence of It, we observe the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of Derry.