The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's pattern of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on children from broken homes — youngsters who often grow up to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.
Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance
In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan consists of some of the few grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the town, especially the father, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the base of his family, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?
The boy is part of the collective of kids at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The cause Will is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in Derry during 1962, which contributes towards the household feeling something is off about the town from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who come from the area, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.
Backstory Connections
Drawing from the It novel, we know the young Will will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in the series, 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 affected him first, with the KKK eventually completing the task it started years ago. Be it via the terror of the entity or through the malice of the town, instigated by Pennywise, the creature in the end achieves the last laugh on him.
Leroy's Transformation
This chain of events would explain how Leroy changes so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he appears resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. However, his words hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe Mike pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.
“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like us, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. Except you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”
Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, something he wishes he had told his own son. Maybe he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of the town.
