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The clown's impact on the young residents of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's pattern of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured homes — children who frequently mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few grown-ups who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's use of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark inflated orbs outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his failure to feel fear, combined with the base of his family, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

The boy is part of the group of children at his educational institution being terrorized by the clown. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the household feeling anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the folks who come from the town, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we understand the young Will Hanlon will end up at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the recent movie, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with his father surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that Mike's parents were on substances, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to rid himself of the torments, or maybe the rotten environment got to him first, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the last laugh on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his later years, he appears bitter and much harsher with his parenting. Because he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. However, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his son. In the initial sequence of It, we observe Mike pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for hesitating and offers an analogy 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 us, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of Derry.