🔗 Share this article

Pennywise's impact on the children of Welcome to Derry molds them throughout their adult lives, twisting them into the exact individuals who keep the town's pattern of hatred ongoing. It preys most easily on children from fractured homes — youngsters who often grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their guardians. But, the Hanlon family stands apart as a rare example of a family unit that never splinters, which may explain why Mike Hanlon, even after electing to remain in Derry, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise's sway.

The Hanlon Family's Unique Resilience

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy Hanlon finally becomes increasingly conscious of the paranormal entities enveloping 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 cognizant that things are not right with the town, notably Leroy, who was revealed to be receptive to the Shining when he was capable of sensing a fellow psychic's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, he spots one of Pennywise's signature inflated orbs outside his residence. This gift, alongside his failure to feel fear, along with the foundation of his family, may be why he's able to see the entity's manifestations. But what if that psychic sensitivity is generational, and one of the reasons Mike is among the few individuals in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

Will is a member of the collective of children at his school being terrorized by Pennywise. His classmates come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being targeted. The cause he is being haunted is due to the cruelty of the community, paired with his likely receptiveness 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 anomalies exist about the locality from the onset. Additionally, they possess a good foundation that isn't fractured, unlike the residents who originate in the area, with relationships that have deteriorated internally.

Historical Context

Drawing from the It novel, we understand the juvenile Will will end up at the infamous nightclub, where the psychic will save him from a fire that the town bigots of the community will cause. In the 2017 movie, we see that Will has a boy named Mike and that Will ultimately dies in a configration, with his father surviving his own son and adopting his grandchild. The public account in the motion picture is that the 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, leaned into alcohol to rid himself of the torments, or perhaps the rotten environment got to him first, with the hate group eventually finishing the task it began years ago. Be it via the terror of Pennywise or through the cruelty of the community, instigated by Pennywise, It eventually gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so drastically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, Leroy appears resentful and much stricter with his discipline. Since he survived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. However, his words carry more weight since we are aware he's witnessed Pennywise's hauntings and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the opening scene of It, we observe Mike hesitate to use a stunning device on a animal at Leroy's farm. His grandfather chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that results in a survival-of-the-fittest scenario.

“You have two options 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 someone is going to make that choice. But you will be unaware it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

Looking back, this could represent a bit of foreshadowing, a lesson he wishes he had told his own son. Perhaps he wishes he had acted differently in his past, but for certain factors, he was unable to avoid the repellent attraction of the town.