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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's cycle of animosity ongoing. It finds easy targets on kids from fractured households — children who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, particularly when It begins tormenting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive 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 inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, alongside his failure to experience terror, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is one of the only individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause Will is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment got to him first, with the KKK ultimately completing the task it began long before. Be it via the fear of the entity or through the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy seems resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time 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.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.