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The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's pattern of hatred alive. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — youngsters who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the town, notably Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving 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 resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the group of children at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally strangers in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the 2017 film, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with his father outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see him in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy youth, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt town affected him initially, with the KKK ultimately completing the job it began years ago. Whether through the fear of the entity or through the malice of the community, seeded by It, It eventually achieves the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy seems resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe the boy pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for hesitating and offers an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.