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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the town's pattern of animosity alive. It finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — children who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, 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 the town, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the group of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason Will is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who originate in the town, with bonds that have decayed within.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the 2017 film, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten town got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it started years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the malice of the town, seeded by It, the creature in the end gets the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy seems resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe the boy pause to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of Derry.