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The clown's impact on the young residents of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the community's pattern of hatred alive. The creature finds easy targets on children from broken households — children who frequently mature to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the town, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of kids at his school being tormented by the clown. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the onset. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who originate in the town, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with his father surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he grew up, leaned into drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt town affected him first, with the hate group ultimately finishing the job it started long before. Be it via the fear of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, the creature in the end gets the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of the town.