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The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who keep the community's cycle of animosity ongoing. It finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — children who often grow up to repeat the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his inability to feel fear, combined with the base of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

Will is a member of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by the clown. All his school friends come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason he 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 outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the household feeling something is off about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the 2017 movie, we see that Will has a boy 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 drugs, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid youth, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment got to him initially, with the KKK ultimately completing the job it started years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy seems bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

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