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The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of animosity alive. It preys most easily on children from fractured households — youngsters who frequently mature to repeat the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a 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.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, especially when It starts haunting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, along with the base of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of kids at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the town, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the recent film, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the shy youth, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt environment got to him first, with the KKK ultimately completing the job it started years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end achieves the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy appears bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and provides an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he points to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of the town.