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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's pattern of animosity ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured homes — children who frequently mature to repeat the same patterns as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces surrounding the community, especially when It begins tormenting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his household, could be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause Will is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of him 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 hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him initially, with the hate group eventually finishing the job it started long before. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the town, instigated by It, the creature in the end achieves the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he appears bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Because he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. However, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he points to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he desires he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of the town.