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The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who keep the community's cycle of animosity ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from broken households — children who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, especially when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially the father, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is part of the collective of kids at his school being terrorized by the clown. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who originate in the town, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the 2017 movie, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with his father outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him first, with the hate group eventually completing the job it began long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, seeded by It, It in the end gets the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe Mike pause to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he points to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, 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 attraction of the town.