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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on kids from fractured households — youngsters who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the collective of kids at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we understand the juvenile Will will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the recent film, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with his father surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the job it began long before. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, instigated by It, It eventually gets the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would explain how Leroy changes so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we see Mike pause to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of the town.