It: Welcome to Derry episode 4 theory explains why Mike stays in Derry

Pennywise’s influence on the children of Welcome to Derry shapes them long into adulthood, twisting them into the very adults who keep the town’s cycle of hatred alive. The creature preys most easily on kids from fractured homes — children who often grow up to repeat the same patterns as their parents. But the Hanlon family stands apart as one of the few households that never splinters, which may explain why Mike, even after choosing to stay in Derry, remains the only Loser who never fully falls under Pennywise’s sway.