The clown's impact on the young residents of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who keep the town's cycle of animosity ongoing. It finds easy targets on children from broken homes — youngsters who often mature to replicate the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.
Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience
In the fourth installment 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, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to experience terror, along with the base of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?
The boy is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates hail from broken homes, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause Will is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed internally.
Historical Context
Drawing from the It novel, we know the juvenile Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the 2017 film, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt town affected him initially, with the KKK ultimately finishing the job it started years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or via the malice of the community, seeded by It, the creature eventually achieves the final victory on Will.
The Father's Evolution
This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy seems bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy 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 states as he points to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”
Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.
