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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's pattern of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured homes — children who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household 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 only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when the entity starts haunting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. The ability, alongside his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is a member of the group of kids at his school being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the folks who come from the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that he has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account 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 timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt environment got to him initially, with the KKK eventually completing the task it started long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the malice of the town, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so radically 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 survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of Derry.