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The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's pattern of animosity alive. The creature preys most easily on children from broken households — youngsters who often mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, especially the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, along with the base of his family, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike is one of the only adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The cause he is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the beginning. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who come from the area, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the recent movie, we see that he has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the timid youth, once he grew up, leaned into drink to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt environment affected him initially, with the KKK ultimately completing the task it began years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, instigated by It, the creature in the end achieves the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.