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Pennywise's impact on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who keep the community's pattern of animosity ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from broken households — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, especially when It begins tormenting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, along with the base of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the group of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the town from the onset. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who originate in the town, with bonds that have decayed within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a fire that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the 2017 film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that the parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt environment got to him first, with the KKK ultimately completing the job it began years ago. Whether through the fear of the entity or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, It in the end achieves the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we observe Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in 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 trapped inside,” he says as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of Derry.