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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who keep the town's pattern of animosity alive. It finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the collective of children at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause Will is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the town from the onset. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the recent film, we see that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him first, with the KKK ultimately finishing the task it started years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the cruelty of the community, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually gets the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would explain how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, he seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we see Mike pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of the town.