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Pennywise's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on children from fractured households — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, especially when It begins tormenting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the town, notably the father, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his failure to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the group of children at his school being tormented by the clown. His classmates come from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally outsiders in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with his father surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten environment got to him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it started long before. Whether through the fear of the entity or via the malice of the town, instigated by It, It in the end gets the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. However, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe the boy pause 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 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,” Leroy says as he points to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told 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.