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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's pattern of animosity alive. The creature preys most easily on children from broken households — children who often mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his family, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, 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 collective of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause Will is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the 2017 film, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town affected him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it started years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, he seems bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed 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,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of the town.