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The clown's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on children from fractured households — youngsters who often mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Later, he spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, alongside his failure to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the group of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, leaned into drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt environment affected him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the task it started long before. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, the creature in the end achieves the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we see Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor 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 we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of the town.