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The clown's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the collective of children at his school being tormented by the clown. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family sensing something is off 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 area, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon 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 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him initially, with the KKK eventually finishing the task it started long before. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, seeded by It, It eventually gets the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how Leroy changes so drastically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he appears resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for hesitating and offers an analogy that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of Derry.