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The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. The creature preys most easily on kids from fractured homes — children who frequently mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. 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 the town, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, especially when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the group of kids at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the recent movie, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with his father outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town got to him first, with the KKK ultimately completing the task it began years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the malice of the town, instigated by It, It eventually achieves the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he appears bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of It, we observe the boy pause to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and offers an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, something 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 sickening allure of Derry.