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The clown's impact on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who keep the community's cycle of animosity alive. It preys most easily on children from broken homes — children who often grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the town, 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 episode 3. Later, he sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is one of the only individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy 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 parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the town from the onset. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we know the young Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the 2017 film, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy youth, once he became an adult, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town got to him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it started long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the cruelty of the town, instigated by It, It in the end achieves the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they had on his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we see Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” he states as he points to the sheep. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of Derry.