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Pennywise's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the exact individuals who keep the community's cycle of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on children from broken homes — children who frequently grow up to replicate the same patterns as their parents. However, the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, persists as the sole member who never fully falls under the clown's influence.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In episode 4 of Welcome to Derry, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the neighborhood, especially when It starts haunting his son, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family comprises some of the few adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Later, he sees one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. This gift, alongside his failure to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in Derry who didn't lose themselves to its cruelty?

The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by Pennywise. All his school friends come from broken homes, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason he is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the community, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which lends itself towards the family feeling something is off about the town from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that remains unbroken, in contrast to the folks who originate in the area, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we understand the young Will will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the recent film, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own child and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the shy youth, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten town got to him first, with the hate group eventually completing the task it began long before. Be it via the fear of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by It, It eventually achieves the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy changes so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his older age, he appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his words hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe the boy pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy reprimands him for delaying and provides an metaphor that leads to a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he points to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and another is going to make that choice. Except you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his youth, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the sickening allure of the town.