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The clown's influence on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the town's pattern of animosity alive. The creature finds easy targets on kids from broken homes — youngsters who frequently mature to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in the town, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the community, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of adults who are aware that things are not right with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Later, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his inability to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the collective of kids at his school being terrorized by the clown. His classmates hail from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being pursued is due to the viciousness of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which renders him vulnerable. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family feeling anomalies exist about the town from the beginning. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where Hallorann will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will ignite. In the 2017 film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father surviving his own child 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 the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he grew up, leaned into alcohol to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment affected him first, with the KKK eventually completing the task it started years ago. Whether through the fear of the entity or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in the first film and the prequel. In his older age, he appears bitter and much harsher with his parenting. Because he survived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they wrought upon his child. In the opening scene of It, we observe the boy hesitate to use a bolt gun on a animal at the family property. His grandfather chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that leads to a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time hemming and hawing, and another is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you experience that projectile between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he desires he had acted differently in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.