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Pennywise'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 hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from broken homes — children who frequently mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive 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 the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. This gift, alongside his inability to experience terror, along with the foundation of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The reason he is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally strangers in Derry during 1962, which lends itself towards the family sensing something is off about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who come from the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in Welcome to Derry, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment affected him first, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the town, instigated by Pennywise, It eventually gets the final victory on Will.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the initial sequence of It, we see the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and someone 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. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of the town.