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The clown's impact on the young residents of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of animosity alive. The creature finds easy targets on kids from broken households — children who often mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few grown-ups 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 able to detect a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the group of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason Will is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the household sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy boy, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him initially, with the KKK eventually completing the job it started years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so radically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, he appears resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and offers an analogy 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 we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of the town.