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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's cycle of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from broken households — children who frequently grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when It begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his failure to experience terror, along with the base of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the collective of kids at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten town got to him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the job it started years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, he appears bitter and much harsher with his parenting. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of the town.