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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the community's pattern of animosity ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on children from fractured households — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. This gift, alongside his failure to feel fear, along with the base of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by the clown. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause he is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family sensing 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 deteriorated internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the 2017 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 the parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt environment affected him initially, with the KKK ultimately finishing the task it started years ago. Whether through the terror of the entity or through the malice of the community, instigated by It, It eventually gets the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he appears bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Since he outlived 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 the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for hesitating and offers an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of the town.