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Pennywise's influence on the young residents of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's cycle of animosity ongoing. It finds easy targets on children from broken homes — children who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon at last grows more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when the entity begins tormenting his child, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially the father, 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, Leroy sees one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. The ability, coupled with his inability to feel fear, along with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is one of the only individuals in the town who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the group of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers 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 solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who come from the town, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we know the young Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the recent movie, we observe that Will has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a fire, with his father outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The public account in the motion picture is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see him in the series, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, turned to alcohol to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town got to him initially, with the hate group eventually completing the job it began long before. Whether through the fear of the entity or via the cruelty of the community, seeded by It, the creature in the end achieves the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

This chain of events would explain how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he survived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at Leroy's farm. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and offers an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“There are two places you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy states as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. But you won't know it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

In hindsight, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of Derry.