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Pennywise's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on children from broken households — children who frequently mature to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling something is off about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who come from the area, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent film, we see that he has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with his father surviving his own child 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 youth, once he became an adult, turned to drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt environment got to him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it started long before. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, the creature eventually gets the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his older age, he appears resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Because he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather 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 world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he points to the sheep. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of Derry.