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The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It finds easy targets on kids from fractured households — children who frequently grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when It begins tormenting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few adults who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably Leroy, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the collective of children at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. They also have a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the folks who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we know the juvenile Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 film, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the shy youth, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him initially, with the hate group eventually completing the job it started years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the malice of the town, seeded by Pennywise, It eventually achieves the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his older age, he appears resentful and much harsher with his parenting. Because he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to observe such a drastic change. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of It, we see Mike pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he gestures to the creature. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of prediction, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of the town.