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The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's cycle of animosity ongoing. It finds easy targets on children from broken households — youngsters who often grow up to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, notably Leroy, 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, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, coupled with his failure to experience terror, along with the foundation of his household, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the group of kids at his school being terrorized by the clown. His classmates come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we understand the young Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with his father surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the corrupt environment got to him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it started years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, It in the end achieves the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, he appears resentful 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 witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

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