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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the community's pattern of animosity alive. The creature finds easy targets on children from broken homes — children who often mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in the town, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when It begins tormenting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few adults who are cognizant that something is amiss with the municipality, especially the father, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's employment of it in episode 3. Later, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, alongside his failure to feel fear, combined with the foundation of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. But what if that shining is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only adults in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the collective of children at his educational institution being tormented by the clown. All his school friends hail from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason Will is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the community, combined with his likely receptiveness to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which lends itself towards the household sensing something is off about the town 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.

Backstory Connections

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the 2017 film, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that the father ultimately dies in a configration, with his father surviving his own child and taking his grandson in. The official story in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but given our current view of Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Maybe the timid youth, once he became an adult, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt environment affected him initially, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began years ago. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, It eventually achieves the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy seems resentful and much harsher with his discipline. Since he outlived his own son, it's understandable to observe such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight now that we know he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they had on his child. In the opening scene of the movie, we observe Mike pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” Leroy states as he points to the creature. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you experience that projectile in your head.”

Looking back, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own child. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.