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Pennywise's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's pattern of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on children from fractured homes — children who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of adults who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably the father, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the group of children at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason he is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. 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. Perhaps the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten town got to him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it began long before. Be it via the fear of Pennywise or through the malice of the town, instigated by Pennywise, It eventually gets the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his parenting. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. However, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his child. In the opening scene of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of the town.