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Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — children who frequently mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, especially when It starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, notably the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his failure to feel fear, along with the base of his household, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the household feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who come from the area, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent movie, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the shy boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten town affected him first, with the KKK ultimately finishing the task it started long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually achieves the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and provides an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of the town.