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The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's pattern of animosity ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, especially when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the town, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, coupled with his inability to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike is one of the only individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his school being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we know the young Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. 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, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him initially, with the hate group eventually completing the job it started years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, seeded by It, the creature in the end gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy seems resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Since he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and provides an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of the town.