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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the town's pattern of hatred ongoing. The creature preys most easily on kids from broken households — children who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, notably Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

Will is a member of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by the clown. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause Will is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the recent movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid youth, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten town affected him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it started long before. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end gets the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he appears resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. However, his words carry more weight now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we see Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a bit of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of the town.