🔗 Share this article

Pennywise's impact on the children of the Derry series molds them long into adulthood, transforming them into the exact individuals who perpetuate the town's pattern of animosity ongoing. The creature preys most easily on children from fractured homes — children who frequently grow up to repeat the identical behaviors as their parents. However, the Hanlon family distinguishes itself as a rare example of a households that remains intact, which may explain why Mike, even after electing to remain in the town, remains the only Loser who doesn't completely succumb under the clown's influence.

Hanlon Household's Distinctive Resistance

In the fourth installment of the series, Leroy finally becomes more aware of the supernatural forces surrounding the community, especially when the entity starts haunting his son, Will Hanlon, during their angling excursion. The Hanlon clan comprises some of the few adults who are cognizant that things are not right with the municipality, especially Leroy, who was shown to be receptive to the Shining when he was able to detect Dick Hallorann's use of it in the third episode. Subsequently, Leroy sees one of the clown's trademark balloons outside his house. This gift, coupled with his failure to experience terror, along with the base of his family, may be why he's able to see Pennywise's hauntings. However, consider if that shining is generational, and a key factor Mike Hanlon is one of the only adults in the town who resisted succumbing to its cruelty?

The boy is part of the collective of children at his school being terrorized by the clown. His classmates come from broken homes, with parents who don't believe they're being haunted. The reason he is being haunted is due to the viciousness of the community, paired with his potential sensitivity to psychic abilities, which renders him vulnerable. The Hanlons are fundamentally outsiders in the town during 1962, which contributes towards the household sensing something is off about the locality from the beginning. Additionally, they possess a solid base that isn't fractured, in contrast to the residents who come from the area, with relationships that have deteriorated within.

Historical Context

Drawing from the original book, we know the juvenile Will Hanlon will end up at the Black Spot, where Hallorann will rescue him from a blaze that the town bigots of the community will ignite. In the 2017 movie, we see that he has a son named Mike and that Will eventually perishes in a configration, with Leroy outliving his own child and taking his grandson in. The public account in the film is that Mike's parents were on drugs, but now that we see Will in the series, that's hard to believe. Maybe the shy boy, once he grew up, turned to alcohol to free himself of the hauntings, or maybe the corrupt town affected him initially, with the KKK ultimately finishing the job it began long before. Be it via the terror of the entity or via the cruelty of the town, seeded by It, It eventually gets the final victory on him.

Leroy's Transformation

These occurrences would clarify how Leroy transforms so radically from what we witness in It: Chapter 1 and the prequel. In his later years, he seems resentful and much stricter with his parenting. Since he outlived his own offspring, it's understandable to see such a profound shift. However, his statements hold greater significance now that we know he's seen the clown's activities and the effects they wrought upon his son. In the initial sequence of the movie, we observe the boy pause to use a bolt gun on a sheep at the family property. Leroy chastises him for hesitating and offers an analogy that results in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

“You have two options you can be in this world. You can be in the open like we are, or you can be in there,” he says as he gestures to the creature. “You dawdle hemming and hawing, and someone is going to make that choice. But you won't know it until you experience that bolt in your head.”

In hindsight, this could be a piece of foreshadowing, something he regrets not imparting to his own son. Perhaps he desires he had done something in his past, but for some reason, he couldn't resist the repellent allure of the town.