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The clown's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who keep the town's pattern of hatred alive. It finds easy targets on kids from fractured households — children who frequently mature to repeat 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 the town, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his inability to feel fear, along with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the group of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason Will is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent film, we see that he has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with his father outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, leaned into drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten environment affected him initially, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it started years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the malice of the community, instigated by It, It eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we see the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of the town.