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The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's pattern of hatred alive. The creature finds easy targets on children from fractured households — children who frequently grow up to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, especially the father, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Later, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his inability to experience terror, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the group of children at his school being tormented by the clown. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who originate in the town, with bonds that have decayed within.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with his father outliving 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 difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town affected him first, with the KKK eventually completing the job it started years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually achieves the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would explain how Leroy changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Since he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he points to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Maybe he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of Derry.