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The clown's influence on the young residents of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's pattern of hatred ongoing. The creature preys most easily on kids from fractured households — children who frequently grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, 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, notably the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a blaze 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 fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the shy youth, once he became an adult, turned to drink to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town got to him initially, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it began long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the town, instigated by Pennywise, the creature in the end achieves the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and offers 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 us, or you can be in there,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.