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The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's pattern of hatred alive. The creature finds easy targets on kids from fractured homes — youngsters who often grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Later, he spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is one of the only individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the group of kids at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason he is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes 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 town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we know the young Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent film, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him first, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began years ago. Be it via the fear of the entity or through the malice of the town, seeded by It, the creature 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 It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of It, we see the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and provides an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options 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 another is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

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 youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of the town.