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Pennywise's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the community's cycle of hatred ongoing. It finds easy targets on children from fractured homes — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the municipality, especially the father, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason he is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the town from the onset. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we understand the young Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it started years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, It eventually gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and provides an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could represent a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.