Hello,
maybe I didn't find the right page in the rules, but so far a group can not gather fellowship points after game start, except maybe another character joins the fellowship ?

The fellowship points will not change, if a character dies and his/her heir joins the fellowship ?

When a character leaves the fellowship (leaves it, dies/succumbs to the shadow & is without heir), the points are not reduced ?

Fellowship points rise and fall with the make-up of the party. If a character leaves the company without being replaced, the fellowship points will go down.

they recharge so I dont see a problem

my group havent used them much at all...maybe im too soft!

Shouldn't a fellowship whichs lives&dies together for years prosper and get a stronger relationship - e.g. get more "tweaks" for all of them to save their live

Maybe I played to much Shadowrun ;-)

I wonder if that could be an answer to concerns about characters not being able to regain Hope very easily.

Each Year's End Fellowship Phase, the fellowship can spend an action to increase their pool as long as they are all present.

Bond (All Characters)
The fellowship spend winter in each other's company, forging their friendship and planning future deeds. From now on, as long as they are all present at a session, the Fellowship Pool is increased by one.

Surely this is the function of a fellowship focus.

The Focus is more to depict a relationship as between Sam and Frodo was.

voidstate's suggestion is more the thing I thought of.