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The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's cycle of hatred alive. The creature finds easy targets on kids from fractured homes — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of adults who are aware that things are not right with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon 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 children at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause he is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the recent movie, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid boy, once he grew up, leaned into drink to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it started long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the malice of the community, instigated by It, the creature eventually achieves the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how Leroy changes so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, 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 impacts they had on his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and provides an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you feel that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of Derry.