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Pennywise's impact on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's pattern of animosity alive. It preys most easily on children from broken homes — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of adults who are aware that something is amiss with the town, especially the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to experience terror, along with the base of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the group of kids at his school being tormented by the clown. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we understand the juvenile Will will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the recent film, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with his father surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment got to him first, with the hate group ultimately finishing the job it began years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, It in the end gets the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his parenting. Because he survived his own son, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of It, we see the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for hesitating and provides an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“You have two options 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 waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.