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Pennywise's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the town's cycle of animosity alive. The creature finds easy targets on children from broken homes — children who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with his father surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town affected him first, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it began long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, the creature in the end achieves the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy changes so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.