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Pennywise's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on kids from broken households — children who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few adults who are aware that something is amiss with the town, especially the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his inability to feel fear, along with the base of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is a member of the collective of kids at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who originate in the town, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent film, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town got to him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the job it started years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the town, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he seems resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. However, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of the town.