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The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's cycle of animosity ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from fractured households — youngsters who often mature to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when It begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in the town 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 caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason he is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we understand the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a fire that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the 2017 film, we see that he has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy boy, once he grew up, leaned into drink to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment affected him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it began years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, the creature in the end gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he appears bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. However, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we see the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a bit of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of the town.