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Pennywise's influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who keep the community's cycle of animosity ongoing. It preys most easily on children from broken homes — youngsters who often grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably the father, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation 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 is one of the only adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the group of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who come from the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Based on the original book, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will ignite. In the 2017 film, we see that he 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 motion picture is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him first, with the hate group ultimately completing the job it began years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the town, seeded by Pennywise, the creature eventually achieves the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we see in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his parenting. Because he survived his own son, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his statements carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of It, we see the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.