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Pennywise's influence on the children of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's pattern of animosity ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on children from fractured households — children who often grow up to repeat the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of adults who are aware 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 use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. His classmates hail from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the household sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we understand the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the recent film, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him 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 maybe the corrupt environment affected him initially, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it began long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually gets the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy changes 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 parenting. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and provides an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of the town.