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Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's cycle of hatred ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from broken households — children who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces surrounding the community, especially when It starts haunting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of adults who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town affected him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it started years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, It eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we see the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and provides an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of Derry.