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The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's pattern of hatred ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured households — children who often mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few grown-ups who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably the father, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his failure to experience terror, along with the base of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling something is off about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the 2017 movie, we see that he has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt environment got to him initially, with the KKK ultimately completing the task it started years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, It in the end achieves the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. However, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and another 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 foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.