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Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's pattern of hatred ongoing. It finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — children who frequently grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, particularly when It begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, alongside his failure to experience terror, along with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is one of the only adults in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with his father surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy boy, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it started long before. Be it via the terror of the entity or via the malice of the town, seeded by It, It eventually achieves the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, he seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and offers an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed 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,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of the town.