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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred alive. It preys most easily on kids from fractured households — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of adults who are aware that something is amiss with the town, especially the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. This gift, coupled with his inability to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, in contrast to the residents who come from the area, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the recent movie, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with his father outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see him in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town got to him initially, with the KKK ultimately finishing the task it started long before. Whether through the terror of the entity or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by It, It eventually gets the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he points to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of Derry.