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The clown's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who keep the town's cycle of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from broken homes — youngsters who frequently mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, 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.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy at last grows increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few adults who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably the father, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Later, he sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, along with the foundation of his household, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike is among the few adults in Derry who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the group of children at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The reason Will is being pursued is because of the viciousness of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household sensing anomalies exist about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Backstory Connections

Based on the It novel, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the 2017 film, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the film is that the parents were on drugs, but given our current view of him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the corrupt environment got to him first, with the KKK eventually finishing the job it began long before. Be it via the fear of the entity or through the cruelty of the town, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy appears bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we see Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and offers an metaphor that leads to 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,” Leroy states as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. Except 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 desires he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.