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The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when It begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises 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 psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his inability to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, could 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 adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the group of kids at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the residents who originate in the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the 2017 film, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, 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 Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town got to him first, with the hate group eventually completing the task it started years ago. Be it via the fear of the entity or via the malice of the town, seeded by Pennywise, the creature eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, he seems resentful and much harsher 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 witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options 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 sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of Derry.