The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on children from fractured homes — youngsters who often mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.
Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience
In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when It begins tormenting 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, notably Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. This gift, alongside his failure to feel fear, along with the base of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?
Will is a member of the group of children at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason he is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the town, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. This family are fundamentally strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the onset. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.
Historical Context
Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the town bigots of Derry will ignite. In the recent film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a fire, with Leroy surviving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but now that we see him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid youth, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten environment affected him initially, with the hate group ultimately finishing the task it began long before. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or through the malice of the town, instigated by Pennywise, the creature in the end gets the last laugh on Will.
The Father's Evolution
This chain of events would explain how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, Leroy seems bitter and much harsher with his discipline. Because he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike pause to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.
“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like us, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”
In hindsight, this could represent a piece of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he wishes he had done something in his past, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of Derry.
