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The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the town's pattern of animosity alive. It preys most easily on children from fractured households — youngsters who often mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the base of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the collective of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason he is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who originate in the town, with relationships that have decayed within.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we understand the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. 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 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 Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town got to him initially, with the hate group ultimately finishing the job it started long before. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the malice of the community, instigated by It, the creature in the end achieves the last laugh on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's comprehensible 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 had on his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we see the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of the town.