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Pennywise's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's cycle of hatred alive. The creature finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when It starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the town, notably the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, 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 generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the collective of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the young Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent film, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The public account in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt environment affected him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it started long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, It in the end gets the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would explain how Leroy changes so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.