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The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of animosity ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often mature to repeat the identical behaviors 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 choosing to stay in the town, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably the father, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, coupled with his inability to feel fear, combined with the base of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the household sensing something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the folks who originate in the town, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon 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 ignite. In the 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with his father surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten town got to him initially, with the hate group eventually completing the task it started long before. Whether through the fear of the entity or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end gets the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of It, we see the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.