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The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of animosity ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from broken households — youngsters who often mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are aware 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 Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the base of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. His classmates come from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason Will is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the household feeling something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the town, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent film, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with his father outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town affected him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it began long before. Be it via the fear of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually achieves the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of the town.