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The clown's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, transforming them into the very adults who perpetuate the town's pattern of animosity ongoing. The creature finds easy targets on kids from broken households — children who often mature to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resistance

In episode 4 of the series, Leroy at last grows more aware of the paranormal entities enveloping the community, especially when It starts haunting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon clan comprises a small number of grown-ups who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, notably the father, who was shown to be sensitive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Later, he sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his residence. The ability, coupled with his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is among the few individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is part of the group of kids at his educational institution being tormented by Pennywise. His classmates hail from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being pursued is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. This family are ultimately strangers in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who come from the town, with bonds that have decayed internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we understand the juvenile Will will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of Derry will cause. In the recent film, we observe that he has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own son 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 Welcome to Derry, that's hard to believe. Perhaps the timid boy, once he became an adult, leaned into drink to free himself of the torments, or maybe the corrupt town got to him first, with the hate group eventually completing the task it started long before. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, It in the end achieves the last laugh on him.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon transforms so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, he seems bitter and much stricter with his discipline. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his child. In the opening scene of It, we see the boy hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at the family property. Leroy chastises him for delaying and provides an metaphor that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“You have two options you can be in this existence. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he gestures to the sheep. “You waste time indecisive, and someone is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you experience that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening allure of Derry.