deref(o, [a,b,c], d) is a safe way of doing
o[a][b][c]. If that path does not exist, d is returned.
If d is not supplied, null is returned. Any undefined values in
path are ignored.
Object dereferenced, defaultValue, or null.
object The object to be dereferenced.
Array The series of indices to be applied.
toolkit.any The default value to be returned if
the path cannot be followed to the end.