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Pennywise's impact on the young residents of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of animosity alive. It preys most easily on children from broken households — children who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces surrounding the community, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. 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 the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the group of children at his school being terrorized by the clown. His classmates come from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the young Will will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 film, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. 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 torments, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it began long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, he seems resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of It, we observe the boy pause to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy says 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 bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could represent a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of Derry.