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The clown's impact on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on children from broken households — youngsters who frequently mature to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the sole member who never fully falls 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 supernatural forces enveloping the community, particularly when the entity starts haunting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of adults who are cognizant that something is amiss with the town, especially the father, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Later, he sees one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his inability to feel fear, along with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is a member of the group of children at his school being terrorized by the clown. His classmates come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause Will is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the town, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the 2017 film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town affected him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it began long before. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the town, instigated by It, the creature eventually achieves the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he seems resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Since he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of the movie, we see the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent attraction of Derry.