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The clown's impact on the young residents of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the very adults who perpetuate the community's cycle of animosity alive. The creature finds easy targets on children from fractured households — children who frequently mature to replicate the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as one of the few family unit that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after choosing to stay in Derry, persists as the sole member 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 supernatural forces enveloping the community, particularly when It starts haunting his child, Will, during their fishing trip. The Hanlon family consists of some of the few adults who are aware that things are not right with the town, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to psychic abilities when he was able to detect a fellow psychic's employment of it in the third episode. Later, Leroy spots one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. The ability, coupled with his inability to experience terror, combined with the base of his household, may be why he's capable of perceiving the entity's manifestations. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is hereditary, and a key factor Mike is one of the only individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to the town's malevolence?

Will is part of the group of children at his educational institution being terrorized by Pennywise. All his school friends come from dysfunctional families, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being haunted. The cause Will is being haunted is because of the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in the town during the early sixties, which contributes towards the family sensing something is off about the town from the beginning. They also have a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who come from the area, with bonds that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Based on the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where the psychic will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of Derry will cause. In the 2017 movie, we see that he has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with his father outliving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The official story in the motion picture is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see him in the series, that's difficult to accept. Perhaps the timid youth, once he grew up, turned to drink to free himself of the hauntings, or perhaps the rotten town affected him initially, with the KKK ultimately completing the task it began years ago. Whether through the fear of the entity or via the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, the creature eventually gets the final victory on Will.

The Father's Evolution

These occurrences would clarify how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we see in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he seems bitter and much stricter with his parenting. Because he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a drastic change. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen Pennywise's hauntings and the impacts they had on his child. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe Mike pause to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. Leroy chastises him for delaying and offers an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest situation.

“There are two places you can be in this world. You can be in the open like us, or you can be in there,” Leroy says as he gestures to the sheep. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and another is going to decide for you. But you will be unaware it until you feel that bolt between your eyes.”

Looking back, this could be a bit of foreshadowing, something he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had done something in his youth, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.