In far too many fantasy stories only the main characters are people. I don't care what the job pays, you'd never get me to be a palace guard in some of these universes. If I wanted to commit suicide I could find more entertaining ways. Besides, they're so utterly ineffectual. If I were hiring guards, I would want them to have at least some instinct for self-preservation, and to know how to do something other than stand there looking bored until someone sneaks up from behind and cuts their throats, or jumps down from an overhanging ledge, or gets them to look the wrong way with the distinctive sound of a pebble being thrown.
Soldiers have it almost as bad.
They have this tendency to fight to the last man. Dying, even in a glorious cause, is not popular with ordinary soldiers. Even palace guards can have wives and children and worry about putting food on the table, and the fewer who throw themselves into the hero's field of fire the better, as far as I'm concerned. Everything other than the basic human motivations will vary, depending on the cultural setting. None of what I've said so far means that all the people in fantasy stories should act like your next door neighbor.