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The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's pattern of animosity ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — children who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the only Loser who never fully falls 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 surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of adults who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. The ability, alongside his failure to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his household, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by the clown. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason he is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the folks who come from the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the recent film, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town got to him first, with the hate group eventually completing the job it began years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the malice of the town, instigated by Pennywise, It in the end gets the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how Leroy changes so radically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we see Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and provides an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of Derry.