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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the community's pattern of hatred ongoing. It finds easy targets on children from broken homes — youngsters who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, particularly when It begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the group of children at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household feeling something is off about the town from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we understand the juvenile Will 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 observe that he has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment affected him initially, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it started long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, instigated by It, the creature eventually achieves the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Since he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he gestures 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 in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of Derry.