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The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's pattern of animosity alive. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often mature to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, especially when the entity starts haunting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his inability to feel fear, along with the base of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of kids at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason Will is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the household sensing something is off about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the residents who come from the area, with bonds that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we understand the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with his father outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him 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 torments, or perhaps the rotten town affected him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it started years ago. Be it via the fear of the entity or through the cruelty of the town, instigated by It, It in the end achieves the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how Leroy changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he appears bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of Derry.