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The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's cycle of hatred alive. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — children who often mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, he spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to experience terror, along with the foundation of his household, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the group of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason he is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family 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 come from the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with his father outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, turned to drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt environment affected him first, with the KKK ultimately finishing the job it began long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the malice of the town, seeded by It, the creature eventually gets the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of Derry.