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Pennywise's impact on the young residents of the Derry series shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who keep the town's cycle of animosity ongoing. It finds easy targets on kids from fractured households — children who often grow up to replicate the same patterns as their guardians. However, the Hanlon household stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that remains intact, which could clarify why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the sole member who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the supernatural forces surrounding the neighborhood, particularly when It starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of a small number of adults who are aware that something is amiss with the municipality, notably the father, who was revealed to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's employment of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he spots one of Pennywise's signature balloons outside his house. This gift, alongside his failure to experience terror, combined with the base of his family, could be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. But what if that shining is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is among the few individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the collective of kids at his school being tormented by the clown. His classmates come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who don't believe they're being targeted. The reason he is being haunted is because of the viciousness of the town, combined with his likely receptiveness to shine, which makes him susceptible. The Hanlons are ultimately strangers in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the family feeling something is off about the locality from the beginning. They also have a good foundation that remains unbroken, unlike the residents who come from the town, with bonds that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will find himself at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the recent movie, we see that he has a boy named Mike and that the father eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. The official story in the film is that the parents were on substances, but now that we see Will in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid boy, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the corrupt environment got to him first, with the KKK eventually completing the task it started long before. Whether through the fear of Pennywise or through the malice of the town, instigated by It, It in the end gets the last laugh on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and Welcome to Derry. In his older age, he seems bitter and much harsher with his parenting. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to observe such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements carry more weight now that we know he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the initial sequence of It, we see the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather reprimands him for hesitating and offers an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be out here like we are, or you can be in there,” he states as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of prediction, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the sickening attraction of Derry.