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Pennywise's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's pattern of hatred ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from broken households — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, especially the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, he sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, alongside his failure to feel fear, along with the base of his family, could be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason he is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who originate in the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Backstory Connections

Based on the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 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 the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town affected him initially, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it started long before. Whether through the fear of the entity or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by It, the creature eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy changes so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for delaying and provides an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you feel that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, 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 couldn't resist the sickening allure of Derry.