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The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred alive. It finds easy targets on kids from fractured households — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when It starts haunting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the group of children at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason he is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who come from the area, with bonds that have decayed within.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we understand the juvenile Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent film, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with his father outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he grew up, leaned into drink to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten town 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, instigated by It, It eventually achieves the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of the town.