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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who keep the community's pattern of hatred alive. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — children who often grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, especially when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. This gift, coupled with his inability to experience terror, along with the base of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

Will is a member of the group of children at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household sensing something is off about the town from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who come from the town, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 film, we see that he has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own son 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. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten town affected him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it started long before. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or via the malice of the community, seeded by It, It in the end gets the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see 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 results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he points to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.