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The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred alive. It preys most easily on kids from broken households — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan consists of a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's employment of it in episode 3. Later, he sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with parents who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause he is being pursued is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will 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 recent movie, we see that he has a son named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, leaned into drink to rid himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt town got to him first, with the KKK eventually completing the job it began years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the malice of the community, instigated by Pennywise, It in the end gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we see in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, 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 the movie, we see the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy says as he points to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of Derry.