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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the community's pattern of animosity ongoing. It preys most easily on children from broken households — youngsters who often grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his failure to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his school being tormented by the clown. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason he is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household sensing something is off about the town from the onset. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who come from the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we understand the young Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the 2017 film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten town got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it began years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, seeded by It, the creature eventually gets the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how Leroy changes so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy seems bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of the town.