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The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on children from broken homes — children who frequently mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, especially when It begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, alongside his failure to experience terror, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the collective of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the town, with bonds that have decayed within.

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 fire that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the recent movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten environment got to him initially, with the KKK eventually completing the job it started years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or via the malice of the community, instigated by It, It in the end achieves the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy changes so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight 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 observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Maybe he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of Derry.