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Pennywise's impact on the young residents of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who keep the town's pattern of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on children from fractured households — children who frequently mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Later, he sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are ultimately strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who come from the town, with bonds that have decayed within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the recent film, we observe that he has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with his father outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten environment affected him initially, with the hate group ultimately finishing the task it began long before. Be it via the fear of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It in the end gets the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he seems bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. However, his words carry more weight now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we observe the boy pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest 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 states as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a bit of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of the town.