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Pennywise's impact on the young residents of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred alive. It finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, 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 Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, along with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we understand the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the recent film, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt environment affected him initially, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it began long before. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or via the malice of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end gets the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Because he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open 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 decide for you. But you won't know it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a bit of prediction, 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.