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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's cycle of hatred ongoing. It finds easy targets on children from broken households — youngsters who frequently mature 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, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Later, he sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, coupled with his inability to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the collective of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we understand the juvenile Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the recent film, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with his father surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt town affected him first, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began long before. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or via the malice of the town, seeded by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we observe Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of Derry.