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The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who keep the community's pattern of animosity ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured households — youngsters who often mature to repeat the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of adults who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his family, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike is among the few individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the group of kids at his school being tormented by the clown. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the 2017 movie, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy boy, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten town got to him first, with the KKK ultimately finishing the job it began years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, the creature in the end gets the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the opening scene of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of Derry.