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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 town's pattern of hatred ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on children from broken households — youngsters who frequently grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Distinctive Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Later, he spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, alongside his inability to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the group of children at his school being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the town, with relationships that have decayed within.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we know the young Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the recent movie, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town got to him initially, with the KKK eventually completing the task it began long before. Be it via the fear of Pennywise or through the malice of the town, instigated by It, It eventually achieves the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and provides an analogy that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of Derry.