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Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from fractured households — youngsters who often mature to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, particularly when It begins tormenting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few adults 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 able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of kids at his school being terrorized by the clown. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally strangers in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will save him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the 2017 film, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a fire, with Leroy outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the timid boy, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to rid himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt environment got to him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it started years ago. Be it via the fear of the entity or via the malice of the community, seeded by It, the creature in the end achieves the final victory on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would clarify how Leroy changes so radically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his older age, he seems bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. However, his words carry more weight now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a bit of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own child. Perhaps he desires he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the sickening attraction of the town.