The clown's influence on the children of the Derry series molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's cycle of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on kids from broken homes — youngsters who often mature to repeat the same patterns as their guardians. But, the Hanlon household stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which could clarify why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the sole member who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.
In the fourth installment of Welcome to Derry, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces enveloping the community, especially when the entity begins tormenting his son, Will, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon family comprises a small number of adults who are aware that something is amiss with the town, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be sensitive to psychic abilities when he was capable of sensing Dick Hallorann's use of it in episode 3. Subsequently, he spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his house. The ability, alongside his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, could be why he's capable of perceiving Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike Hanlon is one of the only individuals in Derry who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?
The boy is a member of the collective of kids at his school being terrorized by the clown. His classmates come from broken homes, with caregivers who refuse to accept they're being targeted. The cause Will is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the town, combined with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which makes him susceptible. This family are fundamentally outsiders in Derry during the early sixties, which contributes towards the household sensing something is off about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, unlike the folks who come from the area, with bonds that have decayed within.
Drawing from the It novel, we understand the young Will Hanlon will find himself at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will rescue him from a fire that the local KKK members of the community will cause. In the 2017 movie, we observe that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy surviving his own son and taking his grandson in. 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 timid youth, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the rotten town affected him first, with the KKK ultimately completing the task it started years ago. Whether through the terror of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the town, instigated by Pennywise, It in the end gets the final victory on him.
This chain of events would explain how the elder Hanlon changes so drastically from what we witness in the first film and Welcome to Derry. In his later years, Leroy appears bitter and much harsher with his parenting. Because he outlived his own son, it's comprehensible to see such a profound shift. Nonetheless, his statements hold greater significance since we are aware he's seen the clown's activities and the impacts they had on his son. In the opening scene of It, we see Mike pause to use a stunning device on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and provides an metaphor that results in a kill-or-be-killed scenario.
“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be trapped inside,” he says as he points to the creature. “You dawdle indecisive, and another is going to decide for you. Except you will be unaware it until you feel that projectile between your eyes.”
In hindsight, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own child. Maybe he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he was unable to avoid the repellent allure of Derry.
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