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The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of animosity alive. The creature finds easy targets on children from broken homes — children who frequently mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Later, he sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his school being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who originate in the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the 2017 film, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see him in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten town got to him first, with the KKK ultimately finishing the job it started long before. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, It in the end gets the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he seems resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and offers an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.