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MORALE

Morale properly refers to the state of mind of "troops" during combat || stress situations.
Stupid creatures tend to fight to the death.

So do creatures with a set purpose in mind -- elite, guards, and fanatical creatures.

Your character will never have to check morale status,
nor will any other player character, for each player provides this personally.
Some are brave, some foolish, some cautious, some cowardly.
Your character's henchmen will probably have to check morale, so too will hirelings.
Powerful monsters will never check morale,
and even weak ones will probably not do so as long as they have leadership.

When you require your henchmen and/or hirelings to take risks which your character is not personally taking,
or when in hazardous situations with or without your character, or when faced with a defeated and fleeing enemy just overcome,
or when given the prospect of rich loot, these are times when the campaign referee will usually require morale checks.
Obedience, actions, reactions, etc. will be decided by such morale checks.
In addition to the influence your charocter's charisma has, the loyalty rating of henchmen and hirelings will be influenced by past treatment, current situation, and the behavior of any of their fellows nearby.

Your lieutenants, if any, will provide a steadying influence. Higher level characters are unlikely to have poor morale unless they are faced with on obviously hopeless situation (at least as far as they can see it) and/or when they are low in HP.
If you treat your henchmen and hirelings fairly, pay them well, and give them arms and equipment which allow them to effectively engage in combat by maximizing their protection and offensive potential, their morale base will be good. Furthermore, if you do not require them to take risks which your character does not take, if their mortality is not high, and their "master" does not abandon them to their fate as long as another course is possible, the "troops" will be likely to be firm in the face of nearly any threat.
Lack of action, setbacks, and similar things reduce morale. A good player pays strict attention to these considerations.