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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the community's cycle of hatred ongoing. The creature preys most easily on kids from broken households — children who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the community, particularly when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Later, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, alongside his failure to experience terror, along with the foundation of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is part of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the area, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 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 public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment affected him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it began years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, the creature in the end achieves the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy changes so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of Derry.